


Don't You Dare Look Away

by SeventeenthStar



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Angst, F/F, Graphic Murder Scene, Harry Potter jokes, I'm convinced that florida is on a hellmouth tbh it would explain a lot, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Minor J'onn J'onzz | Hank Henshaw, Modern magic AU, Protective sister Alex Danvers, Slow Burn, Slow Burn Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor, SuperCorp, Witches and warlocks and demons, but it's warned in the chapter and can be skipped, it's gonna get real gay, kind of enemies to friends to lovers, lena is so sad pls give her a hug, loosely inspired by Charmed the original series, more tags as they become relevant, shade at florida
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-12
Updated: 2019-04-10
Packaged: 2019-10-08 19:01:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 48,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17391902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeventeenthStar/pseuds/SeventeenthStar
Summary: Kara Danvers, lifelong witch (although she keeps that buried deep), and new journalist at CatCo has been given her first interview with the new CEO of the infamous LuthorCorp, Lena Luthor. But why does Clark insist on coming? Why does everyone keep saying the Luthor's are bad news while exchanging knowing looks? Kara doesn't like being out of the loop, but when Lena's life is suddenly put in danger and Kara is capable of saving her, a whole new world of secrets, magic, and incredible danger is revealed to her.Modern Magic AU where Kara was born a witch who has been forced to hide it all her life until meets the incredible Lena Luthor who keeps getting almost killed and is definitely hiding something but Kara can't stop herself from falling for her.





	1. Where were you when I needed you?

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, hi, yo. I've had this idea in my head for a long time and have the story all planned out, but that doesn't mean that it probably won't still surprise me. (That tends to happen.)
> 
> My GF was supposed to Beta this but she's asleep and snoring so I'll let her sleep meaning all mistakes are mine.
> 
> It's loosely based off of Charmed, but I kinda wanted to create my own rules so it's not a Charmed AU haha. I hope ya'll like it.
> 
> BTW, the beginning is ~foreshadowing~ ooo

> _"I can't help, but wonder_   
>  _Where would I, where would I be?_   
>  _What would I do?_   
>  _If you were, if you were there when I needed you_   
>  _Where would I, where would I be?_   
>  _What would I do?"  - 'Needed You' , Illenium ft. Dia Frampton_

Kara hadn’t expected this.

Then again, Kara never really knew where her life would lead. She was always in the middle; trying to accept who she was, trying to hide it or ignore it. The tingling at the tips of her fingers, listening to a neighbor three blocks away laughing heartily while watching her favorite movie, the careful way Kara had to handle everything around her so it wouldn’t break. Strength. Speed. Eyes that could see through walls and skin.

_Magic._

Her parents called them great gifts and promised her she’d learn how to control them someday. That she would help the innocent people around her, _really_ help people, but she couldn’t use her so-called gifts to save her family on that fiery night in a frozen December fifteen years ago.

At this moment Kara felt cursed, as she lay in the dirt between her parents in their family mausoleum; in pain but somehow feeling thankful for her powers even if they brought her to what felt like the end. It had been worth it.

“It is time,” a sinister but melodic male voice said somewhere above her.

Silence.

“ _Do it,”_ he spat with disgust as Kara was defenseless and bleeding below, her breaths hollow and forced.

A word was spoken by neither Kara nor the man, but by someone Kara loved; trusted. She didn’t understand the word said but in that moment she felt hot, burning. This must have been how her parents felt the night they died.

There was a bright light and Kara closed her eyes; accepting what was to come. _I’m coming home, mom._

And then there was nothing but the darkness.

 

***

 

Clark was in town. Kara was both excited and anxious to see her cousin. It had been some time since they’d been together and he was her only blood relation left, but he’d abandoned her with the Danvers family and rarely reached out to her. Not that the Danvers were bad, no, they were wonderful and loving. Her foster mother and father did everything they could to make Kara feel at home, to help her feel like one of the family. While it wasn’t _quite_ home, they were very much her family and she was forever grateful to have had such a wonderful family for the last fifteen years. Her sister, Alex, was so protective of Kara, they were each other’s anchors and she always supported her. Kara was able to find the good in the world around her, even with everything she’d been through.

_Never use your powers,_ they had told her, _they will bring nothing but trouble and pain._ And so Kara held any magic within her deep down in a place inside her that she couldn’t truly accept. She knew she was a witch; just as her mother was before her passing. Now Kara lived within a world where they only ever spoke of spells and magic in hushed whispers around the dinner table. It was more than taboo; it was dangerous.

Clark used his magic, as far as Kara was aware. She didn’t know what he did with his powers or if he followed the rules of ‘good magic’ that their families taught them while they were young. You weren’t to use your powers to harm anyone, or to raise yourself above others. No, Clark was too classically good to abuse what he had. He didn’t drink, he didn’t swear, and he opened doors for his dates and pulled out their chairs with all the appropriate “please” and “thank yous”. All of his articles screamed of an almost naive love of America and “The American Way” as he would say. He was very old-school. When he moved in with the Kents in Smallville, after the death of his parents, he fully took on his new life as a farm boy and even with living in the big city now, it never left him.

Kara sat at her desk in the bullpen of Catco Magazine, surrounded by other writers and reporters busy at work for the next issue. Kara sighed: she hadn’t been given an assignment for this issue and she feared that she wouldn’t have an article in the magazine or website this month. Snapper Carr sat at his desk just ten feet away from her with a frustrated look on his face (which honestly was just the way he always looked) and his head resting in one hand as he marked up someone’s article with red pen. Snapper was Kara’s boss, and he was sort of a gruff man. He earned his nickname years ago before they’d ever met simply because he would snap with his fingers at things when he needed them or to grab the attention of somewhere nearby… and sometimes he’d also snap at you with his words.

Kara was leaning to the side in her chair so she could see the balding man as he worked, hoping that maybe he’d remember her existence and give her an assignment. Maybe this was just the life of a rookie reporter, or maybe she was invisible. _What a power invisibility would be,_ she thought as she watched Snapper reading through someone’s article on his desk. “Write it again,” she heard him growl as he tossed the paper back to one of the other journalists with an ill-veiled look of disgust.

Sighing, she turned back to her desk and began clicking around to make it look like she was doing something while she tried to could come up with something to pitch to him. There could be a chance that if she came up with something good enough, she could get in the issue. She’d only gotten one assignment since Cat Grant (Snapper’s boss and Kara’s before giving up her assistant job to become a reporter.) had her moved and she’d been in the journalism department for little over a month now… It wasn’t going well.

Unable to come up with anything she picked up her phone to check her most recent text from Clark.

 

**Clark:** Just got off the train. Early dinner?

**Kara:** I would but I still have to think of a pitch for Snapper

**Clark:** Still struggling? Ask for an assignment, I hear Carr appreciates assertiveness.

 

Kara stared at her phone for a moment contemplating Clark’s advice. Clark himself was a successful journalist in Metropolis. He’d been doing this for years and was quite good at it. She threw her phone down on her desk and stood, straightening her powder blue cardigan and marching towards Snapper’s desk with determination. She almost immediately lost her nerve when she found herself standing in front of his desk with her hands on her hips tentatively.

The man didn’t react to her presence, but Kara felt like he knew she was there as he shifted through the latest layouts before him. “Uh,” Kara began and Snapper still ignored her, “Snapper, sir,” she spoke more firmly and he looked up at her, watching her with annoyance above his glasses that rested at the bottom of his nose.

“Ponytail, this better be good,” his voice was low and somewhat gravely, it always made her a little uneasy.

She straightened her back and fidgeted with her glasses. “I’d like an assignment. I haven’t gotten to contribute in some time and I feel as though I’m being wasted.”

He set the layouts down and leant back in his chair as it reclined. “Not much for the rookie with the lack of news lately,” he said with raised eyebrows, “I still don’t like you, Danvers. and even if Grant herself gave you this job it doesn’t mean it’s going to be all sunshine and rainbows for you.”

Kara didn’t reply, instead she held steady eye contact with him for a long moment. Snapper grunted and spun in his chair to check out the whiteboard behind him. “How do you feel about the Luthors’, kid?”

Kara relaxed slightly. “I wasn’t the biggest fan of Lex Luthor, but he’s been missing for some time, hasn’t he?”

He nodded, “Last year after one of LuthorCorp’s inventions backfired on our soldiers. Instead of detecting car bombs, it set them off and killed three hundred, including some villagers in Iran. It’s assumed that instead of facing the consequences, he went on the run.”

“Yes, it was all over the news… why are we talking about it now?”

“I assume that you spend most of your free time watching cartoons instead of the news,” he responded without a hint of humor in his voice.

“I-That, that’s not true!” Kara spat out in defense. (Although, she did have a soft spot for Steven Universe.)

“Doesn’t matter. His sister Lena Luthor has taken over Luthor Corp and they just moved their headquarters here. I need someone with an objective view to interview her. Find out why she’s here and what she plans to do with the business and blah blah blah.”

Kara smiled, happy to finally have something and Snapper rolled his eyes.

“Now, Danvers. The appointment is already set. Get out of here.”

Kara nodded and saluted him (why on earth did she salute?) and returned to her desk to shoot a quick text back to Clark.

**Kara:** Can’t do lunch. Headed to Luthor Corp to interview the new CEO. Dinner?

**Clark:** I’m going with you. Meet you outside CatCo.

Kara stared down at her phone in confusion. Why did Clark insist on coming to the interview? Kara was sure she didn’t need help with it; there was always something to talk about when it came to the infamous Luthors. With a sigh she sent back a confirmation and grabbed her notebook and purse and left the office to meet with her cousin.

  


“I don’t trust the Luthors,” Clark said simply as they walked down the sidewalk in the city. The new LuthorCorp building was only a few blocks away so they’d decided to walk.

“Okay… is there a reason for that?”

Clark glanced at her from behind black framed glasses, his blue eyes communicating something she couldn’t quite catch onto. “They’re bad news, Kara. I _know_ Lex, he’s not a good guy… you could call him a bit of a demon,” he said with a slight shrug.

Kara considered his words for a short moment as she bumped shoulders with a stranger, apologizing to him before speaking to Clark again, “Lena is his sister, it doesn’t make her exactly like him. You can’t judge her before you’ve met her.”

“I have met her.”

“And?”

Clark hesitated for a moment as they stepped in front of the LuthorCorp building before he stopped suddenly, turning around and placing his hands on her shoulders and looking at her intently, “All Luthors are bad, Kara. Those bombs that went off? A man I knew died in one of the blasts. A good friend, a photographer. I think he was targeted.”

Kara looked back at him in disbelief, but sighed with understanding. Lex was, in a way, behind the loss of his friend and Clark needed someone to blame. “It’s a single interview, Clark. I’ll be fine,” he tilted his head to give her a look of disbelief and she knew this wasn’t something she was going to win, “but I would like you to come with me to mentor me a little, _not_ because you distrust Lena.”

Clark appeared sated and he dropped his arms in relief.

Kara raised her eyebrows at him, “I got this because I don’t hate the Luthors. We have to be objective. Give her a chance.”

“I can be objective.”

Kara side-eyed him as she pushed open the door to LuthorCorp.

 

Kara had to admit that the building was beautiful. The ceilings were tall above them and there was a pleasant amount of natural light pouring in from the windows and a small waterfall off to the side with coy in the pond below it. Nearby there were employees enjoying their lunch at wooden tables and talking to each other animatedly. They looked happy.

It was smart, having the main lobby be such a calming and bright place. It immediately put Kara at ease and she wondered if it was designed for that very purpose.

They checked in at the security desk and a security guard by the name of Hector directed them to an elevator. “This one heads directly to the top. Only Miss Luthor, her assistant, and those meeting with the CEO ever use it. The other lifts don’t reach her office.”

Kara remembered Cat Grant had her own personal elevator which no one else was allowed to use and chuckled to herself thinking about her high maintenance boss. Funny, though, how it felt easier to be her assistant than to work in journalism under Snapper Carr.

They thanked him and entered the elevator, the minutes stretching as they rode it up the tall building. Classical music played as they went up and Kara concentrated on the soft melody to distract herself from her growing nerves. She’d never even had an interview before, let alone with the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. They reached their floor and Kara took a deep breath just before the doors slid open.

Unsurprisingly, this floor was beautiful as well. On their left was a large desk with a slender asian woman speaking on the phone. The wall behind her was a burgundy stained wood that rose to meet the high ceiling. On the right the wall was a giant window looking out to the city and Kara could see CatCo not too far away.

The woman behind the desk hung up the phone and stood to greet them with an obviously forced (but still polite) smile. “You must be the reporters from CatCo Magazine. You have excellent timing, Miss Luthor just finished with a meeting not too long ago.”

Kara glanced at the clock on the wall behind the woman and her brows rose a little bit in concern. “Just now? Has she eaten?”

Her eyes widened in surprise and in confusion as she appeared to take in Kara for the first time. “I’m sorry?”

“Well, it’s way past lunchtime and if she just got out of a meeting and is meeting with us now… When has she had the time to eat? Did she eat an early lunch or something?”

Clark was chuckling behind Kara, not at all surprised over her concern about food. Kara always took food very seriously. The assistant seemed taken aback but shook her head, “I’m afraid not. She has been very busy and has had to skip lunch quite often lately. I think sometimes she forgets about it entirely.”

Kara hummed in response, “We’ll keep this short then. So she can eat.”

The woman smiled, “I’ll order for her and it should be here by the end of your interview. I’ll mention your concern to her as well,” she laughed, a light sparkle in her eyes as she stepped out from behind her desk and extended her hand to Kara, “I’m Jess, by the way. Lena’s assistant.”

Kara shook her hand firmly (but not _too_ firmly, she didn’t want to break the poor girl's hand) and smiled wide. “I’m Kara, CatCo journalist, But… you already knew that.”

Jess grinned, “Of course, Miss Danvers, but I don’t believe I know your friend?”

Kara had almost forgotten Clark standing behind her, but Jess eyed him up and down and Kara felt like rolling her eyes. She supposed that her cousin was attractive, even Cat Grant got a bit flustered when he smiled at her. Clark was well built, muscular but not in an obvious way as he hid behind glasses and cardigans with his brown hair neatly brushed to stay in place. Despite his effort, though, sometimes a bit of it rested in a curl on his forehead. It was a little endearing and women were always flirting with him whenever they were together.

“I’m Clark Kent from the Daily Prophet in Metropolis and I’m here to sidekick for Kara on her first interview,” his smile was disarming as he reached out to shake her hand, “it’s a pleasure to meet you Jess. May we go in now? Apparently we gotta make this quick so your boss can eat,” he laughed.

Jess nodded and led them to the door, knocking on it twice and waiting a full twenty seconds before opening the door. Kara wondered if she did that every time she entered Lena’s office. Maybe she’d walked in on something she wasn’t supposed to at some point? Kara chose not to follow down that thought path.

“Kara Danvers and Clark Kent here to see you,” Jess announced as she stepped in the door ahead of them.

Lena’s office was spacious, larger than Kara’s kitchen and living room put together. Kara bit her lip nervously as they followed Jess into the room.

“Mhm,” Lena hummed before she spoke, “Thank you Jess, you may go.”

Jess nodded and left the room, shutting the door and leaving Kara and Clark alone with the woman who Clark had just called “bad news” on their way into the building she owned.

Lena was at her desk, another huge window behind her and a glass door leading out to a balcony. She typed quickly with her eyes glued to the screen. “One moment,” she said apologetically, “I just need to get this email out and I’m all yours.” Did that sound suggestive? It sounded suggestive, but maybe it was just the soft and small accent in her voice that Kara couldn’t place or maybe Kara just took it the wrong way.

Kara moved further into the room, taking in the bookshelf next to an impeccably white couch on her left. She sat herself on a chair in front of Lena’s desk and took out her notepad and pen readying herself.

Lena finished her email with a near-flourish and looked up with a smile. Kara was rendered speechless. She had seen Lena before; on TV and in magazines and she knew she was beautiful, but seeing her in person was so different. The sun shone in through the clean glass behind her, illuminating her. Her hair was dark, _so_ dark, and her skin was pale and clear like porcelain that contrasted with her brown hair. Her eyes were a stark green with a glint that made them feel somehow powerful as she studied Kara carefully.

“All done, you have my full attention, Miss… it was Danvers, right?” Lena asked while Kara stumbled over a reply; her eyes wide and her mouth slack jawed over the mere presence of the woman behind the desk. Kara merely nodded and Lena turned her attention to Clark.               “Clark Kent! I’m surprised to see you, it has been some time.”

Clark smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes, “Mhm, yeah. Two years or so…”

Lena watched Clark carefully, she must have been considering pushing him to talk more about the past and his relationship with her brother, which... Clark was hesitant to even talk to Kara about. “I’m surprised that CatCo is interested in LuthorCorp at all, honestly. Doesn’t the magazine usually do articles on how to get that perfect beach body and which heiress or young starlet has most recently been seen flashing cameras outside of a club?”

Kara tilted her head, “CatCo magazine is changing its direction. It’s important to share news and inform our readers of the women in power in government and business. It can inspire young girls,” Kara shrugged slightly, “although we still do a bit of the beach body stuff too.”

Lena grinned, turning her chair and resting her arm casually on her desk as she peered out the window. “Well, if you’ve been reading any of those articles it must be working.”

Red rose from Kara’s neck to her face in a full blush.

“Honestly, CatCo was one of the… kinder publications during my own wild clubbing days, but I still avoided it and haven’t opened one in years. I’ll just have to take your word for it, Miss Danvers,” Lena smiled at her, it felt almost flirtatious.

“What is LuthorCorp doing in National City?” Clark asked rather forcefully, interrupting the natural flow of the conversation.

Lena raised her eyebrows at him, she must have been put off by the sudden change but she didn’t show it.. “Are you afraid I’m going to blow up the city, Clark?”

Clark didn’t break eye contact with her, “it wouldn’t be the first time a Luthor was involved in the death of thousands of innocents.”

“I have no intention of hurting anyone,” she responded.

“Are you confirming that your brother harmed people on purpose?”

Lena sighed, rolling the chair from under her desk so she could stand. “Were you not a reporter, I’d answer that question,” she reached down and plucked a small remote off of her desk, “I’m here for a fresh start and I hope to do the same with my company.”

Kara perked up, hoping to turn the conversation to something positive, “How do you intend to do that?”

Lena turned their attention to a flat screen on the wall, “I’m rebranding, changing the name to L-Corp and turning our engineers away from making new and creative ways to kill people and instead finding ways to save them,” a new logo appeared on the screen with the new name, “I intend to bring advancements in medicine, travel, ways to help the environment. I have big plans, I want L Corp to be a force for good.”

Kara couldn’t help but admire the business woman. If anyone understood wanting to help someone, it was her. She struggled with keeping her gifts under wraps; she knew that she could be of help. She was sure of it.

“Once a Luthor always a Luthor,” Clark almost mutters, but Lena still catches it.

“I wasn’t always,” she sighs as she sits again, “I was adopted when I was four.”

Something about that made Clark stare at her for a long moment as if this new information gave him a million knew questions. If Lena knew why he had this reaction, she didn’t show it. “I’ll be unveiling the new name and logo a week from now. You two are, of course, welcome to attend.”

Kara stood and shifted her bag awkwardly, subtly tugging on Clark’s sleeve to pull him out of whatever thought spiral he’d fallen into. “Uh, yes I’m sure we’ll be there. It was nice to meet you Miss Luthor,” Kara extended a hand to shake the other woman’s who stood and grasped both her hands around Kara’s while maintaining eye contact.

“Please, Miss Danvers, pleasure’s all mine,” she smirked and dropped Kara’s hand, “Bye Clark,” she said to him almost dismissively and Kara had to hold in a laugh as they left the office.

 

They’d decided on ordering in at Kara’s place and invited her sister, Alex, and her best friend Winn to join them. Kara had tried inviting James, a new photographer that Cat had hired herself, but he made a rather lame excuse about laundry and hung up on her. It was odd for James to flake like that, but Kara shrugged it off.

Kara and Clark hadn’t talked about the interview since they’d left L-Corp but it was weighing heavily on Kara’s mind. Clark seemed to know more than he was letting on, and Lena was almost dismissive of him. Maybe it was some kind of defense mechanism. Clark had strong feelings about Lex Luthor, and Kara was sure it must not be easy for Lena to hear people speak about her family with such hatred. If people spoke about Alex the way they talk about Lex, Kara was sure it would bother her a great deal. Surely Lex wasn’t all bad, at least not always. He grew up with someone as good as Lena.

Not that Kara had any real reason yet to say that Lena was _good_ , but she had a strong feeling that she was. Her adoptive mother had once explained to her that as a witch she needed to follow her gut when it came to feelings about other people, witches tended to have a greater sense of people, could easily recognize the good in them if it was there. And the bad as well.

Clark and Kara carried on with small talk until Alex walked through her apartment door. Kara felt instantly relieved to see her sister, sometimes it was tough to be alone with Clark. Kara’s feelings of resentment for his abandonment of her tended to surface whenever he was around and it was tough.

“I brought potstickers,” Alex said with a grin as she tossed the bag onto the kitchen counter and pulled her sister into a hug, “I know how much you love pizza and potstickers. I thought maybe we should celebrate your first real interview.”

Kara hopped up and down excitedly, “Alex! What would I do without you!” She moved to start digging into the bag. The pizza hadn’t arrived yet but that wouldn’t stop her from enjoying some of her favorite food.

“Starve, probably. I don’t know how you keep yourself fed on a journalist’s salary, you eat so much.”

“Very carefully,” came Kara’s reply, her mouth full.

Alex laughed and greeted Clark with a pat on the shoulder, “Hey Clark! Nice of you to tag along with Kara today. How did it go?”

Kara and Clark exchanged looks and he shrugged. “It was fine,” he responded quietly.

Kara swallowed what was left of the food in her mouth and shook her head, “Lena Luthor is surprisingly well spoken,” she said with a smile, “she told us about how she wants to take the company in a new direction, wants to do some good. It was very admirable.”

Alex raised an eyebrow, sharing a knowing look with Clark that left Kara a bit confused. “Luthor’s are bad news, Kara. They can’t be trusted… Just because Lena says she’s changing the company’s direction doesn’t mean it’s true.”

A crinkle formed between Kara’s eyebrows as she took in what her sister was saying. “I believe her.”

Alex gave Kara a look of concern and was about to reply when there was a knock at the door. Kara clapped her hands together excitedly and ran to the door, “Pizza!” she claimed excitedly before swinging the door open to a very disheveled looking Winn. “Oh,” she said with disappointment, “It’s just Winn.”

“I know you love your food Kara, but aren’t I your best friend? You could at least appear a little excited,” he responded, stepping through the threshold

Alex raised her eyebrows as she took in Winn’s look. His hair was a little wild, his left sleeve had been torn and he looked a little like he’d been rolling around in the dirt. “Uh, Winn. What happened to you?”

Winn crossed the room to Kara’s couch and sat down with a large sigh. “I should probably keep to myself, is what was learned on my way here,” he shook his head and Kara moved to sit next to him, rubbing his back in an attempt to comfort him. “On my way here I heard a scuffle in that alleyway next to that weird little crystal healing shop. I went to check what was going on and found some guy wrestling with a woman. He had a knife. I’d say it was just a mugging or something, but it really looked like he just wanted to hurt her…”

Alex was standing before them, her arms crossed in front of her and a serious look on her face. “What happened next?”

“Well, I shouted out at him to stop, threatened to call the cops. That managed to distract him enough for the woman to shake herself free. I didn’t get a good look at his face until he jumped at me, and…”

Clark had removed his glasses, holding them in his hand and wiping them clean with a small cloth he had in his pocket. “Winn, it’s okay. You can tell us.”

“I could have sworn the guy had horns. Like _actual_ horns, and it was dark but his eyes… I’m pretty sure they were red, and his nails were weirdly long and black. I managed to push him away, but he tore my shirt and knocked me to the ground. He went to take off, put I grabbed onto his leg and tripped him. He got up and ran farther down the alley, but it seemed like the guy had just vanished and the woman was just… gone.” Winn shook his head and Kara reached out to take his hand.

“Winn, it’s okay,” Kara said softly.

“I know it sounds insane, but-”

“We believe you,” Clark cut in, “there are things in this world that can’t be fully explained. The supernatural and such. It could have been a de-”

“It was probably just one of those guys who’s obsessed with body modification, Winn. Nothing supernatural.” She interrupted Clark with a stern look on her face and Kara felt a sense of familiarity. Alex knew of the supernatural, of magic and the like. Kara had heard of demons and other such evil, but she’d never seen one herself. Alex didn’t like to talk about any of it, and was always quick to shutdown any discussions of magic or the supernatural.

Winn was shaking very slightly and he reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out an intricate looking knife. “He dropped this,” he said, handing it over to Alex, “I thought that maybe because you’re FBI you could do something with this… I didn’t touch the handle. Fingerprints and all that.”

Alex took the knife carefully, walking to the kitchen to find a ziplock bag to put it in, “You’re right, Winn. I’ll take this in first thing tomorrow and see what we can do about this creep. We don’t want him hurting anyone else.”

There was a knock at the door, making everyone jump a little and Kara laughed a little breathlessly as she stood, “must be the pizza,” she said with an awkward shrug before she opened the door where a teenager stood with a stack of four pizzas. Two of them were for Kara.

Kara payed the boy and kicked the door shut, “Well, Winn probably saved that girl’s life tonight. Let’s celebrate with some pizza, yeah?”

 

It took a week for Winn to fully recover from his experience. Really, Kara was surprised that it wasn’t holding him down for longer, but Winn could be strong like that. Winn had had a rough childhood, his father was a serial killer who was currently in prison and his mother had abandoned him when he was very young. Maybe years of therapy really helped him cope. Or he was just good at repressing his emotions.

During the week Kara noticed Winn jumping at shadows, checking over his shoulder, and he even talked about maybe going to the gym to bulk up. It was that last one that worried Kara the most. Winn was one of those people who avoided exercise as if his life depended on it. Instead, he spent his time in front of monitors at home and at CatCo in the Tech department. She wanted to tell him about her powers, assure him that if there was really some horned demon out there with a grudge against him that she could protect him, but since she was very young her family had warned her against ever telling anyone of her magic. Besides, maybe confirming the existence of magic and demons would only make things worse for him. Not everyone easily accepted this hidden world, and Kara couldn’t exactly blame them. It added a whole new level of danger to a world that was already dangerous.

So, she did her best to remain normal while also assuring him that things were alright, until eventually he seemed to calm down and fall back into his normal routine of easy smiles and bad jokes. It was a relief.

Alex, on the other hand, had refused to talk about the incident with Kara. She kept to the story that it was probably just a normal human who was into body modification, but Kara knew better. She knew when Alex was lying.

Clark had returned home the day after their dinner, with nothing but a text telling Kara to be careful. Not even a real goodbye. Not that it was all that surprising.

The L-Corp unveiling was a week later, and Kara found herself in the crowd with her notepad ready waiting for Lena to begin her speech. Kara felt excited to see Lena again, even if they weren’t meeting one-on-one and Kara was in a crowd of other journalists.

Lena stepped onto the stage in a beautiful form-fitting blue dress that really showed off her curves and her hair was pulled back into a bun, with some left out to frame her face. Despite all the noise, Kara could hear Lena’s heels clack-clacking as she approached the podium and her heart beating quickly. Super-hearing was one of Kara’s abilities, and one she couldn’t quite keep buried deep. Lena was nervous, but you couldn’t tell by looking at her. So graceful, she stood in front of the mic and waited only a moment for the crowd to quiet down.

“Hello,” she said into the mic with a smile, “My name is Lena Luthor, and I am the new CEO of LuthorCorp,” she paused shortly, her eyes finding Kara in the crowd and Kara nodded and smiled at her, hoping to offer some encouragement to the nervous CEO, “In the past, LuthorCorp has hurt many people. My brother, Lex, made a very negative impact with the power of the company, and I feel as if a debt is owed, and I am taking the company in a new direction. Starting with a rebrand,” she motioned for the reveal of the new logo on top of the building and a cover dropped dramatically, revealing the new L-Corp logo that Lena had showed Kara and Clark just a week ago. “No longer will this company carry the Luthor name, Luthor Corp is now L-Corp. The letter L can stand for many things but I consider it mostly as: Life and Love. Two things we hope to give to the world in the coming years.” Pictures were being snapped like crazy, journalists were shouting out questions in her short pause, but she ignored them and continued, “I want L-Corp to be a strong source of good for this world.”

It was in that moment that Lena’s eyes grew wide, her face somehow paler and her hands reached up to her neck, wildly grasping at something that wasn’t there as she began to sink to her knees. People around her, security and her assistant Jess rushed to her immediately. Lena was gasping for air.

_She can’t breathe_ , Kara thought with panic when her ears picked up on something in the crowd. Was someone… chanting? It was quiet, a whisper, but she could still hear the repeated words falling in a foreign tongue she didn’t understand. That was… odd.

_A spell!_ It occurred to her very suddenly and she began to examine the crowd, using her ex-ray vision to find the source of the spell. _There._ It was coming from a hooded man on the opposite edge of the crowd, holding his hands together almost as if he was praying, his mouth moving to form the words that were slowly killing Lena Luthor.

Kara didn’t think, she simply reacted. All those years hiding, keeping her magic and her powers buried deep, suddenly forgotten in that instant. She sped faster than anyone could see to grab the man from behind, before using her superspeed to drag him into a nearby alley where no one was watching. The man elbowed Kara and she let him go. He took a few steps away from her and dropped his hood, eying her angrily. “You’ve made your last mistake, _witch,”_ He spat out, opening his hand where a ball of fire appeared.

Without thinking, Kara raced forward as fast as she could, knocking the man back but also burning her arm on his fireball as it skimmed past her into a nearby dumpster. He grunted as he hit the brick wall behind him with a loud _thud_ . He swung his arm, managing to knock Kara away from him, sputtering and reaching up to her eye where his hand had landed. _That’s going to bruise,_ she thought bitterly as the man slowly picked himself up from the ground. _What have you gotten yourself into, Kara? Think, think, think…_ The man was perfectly human looking. Blond hair cropped short in an almost marine-like style and his eyes were a sharp shade of blue. He was wearing an average pair of blue jeans and a jacket with a hood which he slid back over his head as he took three long steps towards her.

From what Kara remembered, Demons usually had other-worldy qualities to their looks, and when they did appear human they usually didn’t dress so… _normal_. He grinned, “So nice of you to put up a fight. I thought killing the Luthor bitch was going to be too easy. Boring.” He spat, blood mixed with spit hitting the floor. Red blood. Demons didn’t have red blood.

Kara’s eyes widened, “You’re a Warlock.”

He raised his hands, shaking his head as he came closer to her, Kara taking steps away from him. “Wow, Magic 101, Witch. It’s really not that hard to figure out. Hasn’t your coven taught you _anything?_ ”

Her coven. The Kryptonians. Her family, taken from her long before they could really teach her about her magic. All that was left was her and Clark. Kara felt immediately angry at the reminder of her loss.

“Oh,” he said with surprise, his eyebrows raising, “You’re covenless! Oh, oh. That’s rich!” His smile disgusted her. The way he took delight in her loneliness disgusted her. “You’re alone, know so little of magic and yet you think you can take on _me?_ ” He shakes his head, “I’ll give you one chance, kid. You can join my coven. We can teach you all you need to know.”

Kara was surprised but she knew better than to accept such an invitation from a Warlock that had just tried to kill a woman with magic in broad daylight, “I’ll pass, thanks. I don’t like Witches and Warlocks that think it’s okay to harm humans.”

The Warlock stopped, “Oh, you really do know nothing.” He shook his head, “Come, now. I’ll let you in on a little secret.”

Kara gave him a dirty look, but before she could respond the man’s eyes closed and he leaned back slightly. His eyes fluttered opened. “Ah, too bad. Fun’s over, little witch. Gotta run, stay out of my way next time, huh? Or I’ll have to cut your little ignorant life short.”

He laughed and Kara reached forward to grab at him, but he was gone in an instant.

Next time. He said next time. This wasn’t over. Lena was still in danger.


	2. I'm Gonna Do My Thing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Exposition oops

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I, uh. Didn't read over this so it may be garbage but I just really wanted to get it out to ya'll. I own all mistakes, feel free to inform me of any in the comments!

>   _I'm gonna do my thing  
> _ _I'm gonna do my thing  
> _ _I'm gonna do my thing  
> _ _Can't you see that you cannot control the man I am  
> _ _I am not a puppet on your string  
> _ _So maybe you should check yourself before you tell me what you think of me  
> _ _If I'm too hot to handle baby  
> _ _Drop the heat  
> _ _Cause this is me", 'I'm Gonna Do My Thing', Royal Deluxe_

When the Warlock left, Kara sank to the damp ground and closed her eyes to take a deep breath. She concentrated on where she’d left the press conference, only feet away, and listened in to make sure that Lena was okay. It sounded as though the conference had ended abruptly and Lena had been rushed away, but she was alive. After another moment of searching she could hear the steady sound of Lena’s heartbeat coming from inside the L-Corp building. She was alive, that was good, but why hadn’t they rushed her to the hospital? That would seem the most obvious course of action… Maybe they did know more about magic than they let on, and if so maybe she was safer behind her walls and her security.

Her eye was starting to swell and she remembered the incessant pain on her arm from her burn and she groaned, reaching into her pocket to pull out her phone and clicking on Alex’s speed dial. Alex answered after only two rings and it sounded like she was somewhere busy, with loud voices in the background. “Hey, Sis. I’m a bit busy-”

“Hey, Alex. Please don’t kill me.”

There was a pause, a small shuffling and the background noise grew quieter. “What did you do?”

 

It turned out that Alex had been at Lena’s speech as well, as part of her work for the FBI. Lena had received many death threats in the week before the conference and the FBI had been recruited as extra security, Lena had refused to let the threats bother her and went on with her speech anyway. She was either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid. Kara wished that Lena would have put her safety first.

Alex was lecturing her and Kara had stopped listening. The moment that Kara mentioned the use of her powers, Alex went off. She was speaking so quickly and she hadn’t even stopped for breath. Her face was turning red and Kara found herself wondering absently if it was the anger or the lack of oxygen.

“Kara, are you listening to me?”

They were in Alex’s small two-door car, headed, well, _somewhere_. Alex hadn’t said where they were going, had only told Kara to get in and had begun speeding through the streets of the city.

“Yes, Alex…” Kara responded, turning to look out the window.

Alex sighed, “Kara, I’m… I’m sorry. I’m just worried about you. There’s good reason we’ve been telling you not to use your powers since the death of your parents. Did you… did you use any spells?”

Kara shook her head, “No. I don’t know any.”

“You don’t really have to know any spells to use them, some witches come up with a rhyme on the spot.”

Kara’s brows furrowed, “I’ve never been one for rhymes, you know that. I can barely spell, it’s a wonder I chose the job that I did…” There was a short moment of silence, “Alex, I know it was dangerous, but… I _saved_ her. It felt so good to use my powers the way that my parents always said I would.”

Alex reached out and pushed on Kara’s burn and she hissed, pulling away.

“Still feel good? You’re not invincible, Kara.”

Kara gave Alex a dirty look, not that she’d notice with her eyes on the road. “I know, things would be a lot easier if that were the case, but, Alex… It felt _good_ to use my powers. It felt _right._ I don’t want to keep this part of me buried anymore. I can help people, and Lena could still be in danger. I could help!”

Alex was silent for a moment as she made a swift turn before pulling into a parking garage that Kara didn’t recognize. “Kara, I understand that you want to help, but… I’m not sure you realize the amount of danger that you could put yourself in.”

“I know it’s not safe, but-”

“There’s more to it,” Alex cut in as she pulled into a spot and shut off the car, swinging her door open and climbing out of the car. Kara slid out of her seat, shutting her door and looking at Alex over the car, “There’s… someone you should meet. Something you need to see.”

 

Alex had guided her into the building from the dark parking garage, placing her hand on a monitor in the elevator that lit up and seemed to scan her hand before it began to move them to a different floor. “I’m sorry for keeping all of this from you, Kara, but… I was only trying to keep you safe.” Alex was giving her a serious look as the doors slid open and a large room with men and women in black rushing about was revealed. Kara’s eyes widened as she took in the room and followed her sister inside. Confusion set in her stomach. She was sure all this time that Alex worked for the FBI, but this… There were obvious wards of protection engraved into the walls, and the sharp sense of magic around her.

Alex led her to a man standing in the center of a half ring of computers, staring up at a huge screen on the far wall with his hand up to his chin, obviously deep in thought. “Director Henshaw, Sir,” Alex greeted as he turned and his eyes widened at the sight of Kara. “Agent Danvers. What has possessed you to bring your sister here?”

 _He knows me_ , Kara thought with surprise as she regarded the man in front of her. Dark skin, permanent worry-lines on his forehead, a sort of small point at the tip of his ears and dark eyes that revealed nothing but hardness behind them. He crossed his arms and Kara found herself feeling incredibly intimidated by this stranger. He was no doubt a strict leader.

“Sir, she… I think it’s time,” Alex shook her head, “She was at the LuthorCorp press conference, she fought the suspect first hand.”

Director Henshaw didn’t reveal any emotion at this new information. Instead he turned to a woman in front of one of the nearby computers, “Agent Vasquez, take over and please alert me if there’s any changes.” The woman nodded once and turned back to her computer. “Follow me,” he said to Kara and her sister as he guided them into a room with a long table surrounded by chairs that was obviously used for meetings. “Sit,” he commanded and Kara followed his instruction immediately, almost missing the chair entirely and stumbling slightly before sitting.

Henshaw noticed her stumble and made a noise of disapproval as Alex found her seat next to Kara, trying to reach out to take her hand, but Kara pulled away. She was confused, angry. She didn’t understand what was going on, all she knew is that her sister had been lying to her.

“Miss Danvers, my name is Hank Henshaw. I am the Director of The Department of Supernatural Operations.”

Kara took him in, feeling a little foggy while trying to settle her emotions. “Call me Kara, please. It seems you already know me.”

“It’s my job to know you,” Hank responded simply, “See, the DSO is an underground government organization that deals with issues involving magic. Witches, warlocks, demons, ghosts, shapeshifters… all of it. You, Kara, being a witch makes you very much our business. We keep the people of this planet safe from all kinds.”

“I’m not a danger to anyone,” Kara responded.

“I never said you were,” Hank replied, sitting at the end of the table, “You are one of those people we are tasked with protecting. As long as you refrain from immoral magicks, really from using magic altogether that will continue.”

Kara shook her head, “Why? Why stop myself from using magic when I can help others?”

“We can’t help you if you insist on putting yourself in danger,” Hank responded, “Not unlike we were unable to help your family. Your coven put a target on their backs and they were hunted. The ones who killed them can sense certain types of magic, Kara. I have no doubt that if you continue to use yours, they will come after you to finish what they started.”

Kara stared at her hands, remembering the night her family died. “My parents died in a fire,” she said quietly.

“Yes, but it wasn’t a natural fire. Magic was used to trap your parents inside, and to burn your home to the ground,” Hank responded quietly, “I’m sorry, Kara. Your family was murdered.”

They’d been trapped inside. Kara and Clark had been outside the house building a snowdog as the sun was setting. When they smelled smoke they’d tried to get inside, she could hear her parents screaming but even with her and Clark’s combined strength they couldn’t knock down the door. Kara had always blamed herself, her strength had never let her down before, why hadn’t she considered that magic could have been blocking her way in and her parents out?

“Why didn’t anyone tell me,” Kara said in almost a whisper.

“We-we wanted to keep you safe, Kara. It was my parents decision to keep the truth from you. You… You were so young, but you had this… spark in you. Dad was sure that even though you were so young that you would try to hunt down the people that killed them, that you might get killed in the process. More loss was… it wasn’t worth it, Kara.” Alex reached out, taking Kara’s hand which she didn’t pull away this time. “I took this job here so I could keep protecting you. My whole life has been keeping you safe. You’re my family. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”

Kara raised her tear filled eyes to meet Alex’s finally, who’s eyes matched hers. Alex was crying as well.

A moment of silence stretched between the three of them as Kara considered what this all meant. She reached up with her free hand and wiped away the tears on her cheeks. “This… this doesn’t change anything.”

Alex pulled away with surprise, but Hank still didn’t reveal his thoughts as he watched Kara carefully, “Kara, what are you saying?”

“I want to be who my parents hoped I would be. I want to use my magic to help people. I want to learn more about this world that I’ve been kept from all this time. I want to get better, and I want to find them. The people that took my coven, my family, away from me. I can prepare, Alex, I can get better,” Kara’s voice turned almost pleading and Alex was shaking her head, obviously upset with Kara’s words. “It would be hypocritical of you, Alex. To be using your talents to help others, but not allowing me to do the same.”

Alex was a witch as well, her mother was a witch but her father was mortal, if not well-informed. Alex, though, didn’t have any active powers like Kara. Alex could use spells, make potions, but she had nothing like super-speed or super-strength. Active powers were rare, Kara was aware of that, and she knew that if anything that meant that she was more capable than Alex to use her powers to help people.

Before Alex could respond Director Henshaw cut in, “Very well, Miss Danvers. It is your right, we cannot stop you from using your powers if that’s what you wish. Just know… you are putting yourself and those you love in tremendous amounts of unknown danger. Are you sure that this is what you want to do?”

Alex looked taken aback, but Kara nodded at him. “I’m sure.”

Henshaw stood. “Follow me, then. I have something that belongs to you.”

 

They’d followed Henshaw into another elevator where they moved an unknown amount of floors, it took a full five minutes of silence in the elevator before the doors opened and he guided them into a room full of magic-looking items behind thick, but clear, glass. Each kept in their individual place, behind lock and key. They passed shelves and shelves of things that Kara couldn’t believe before he stopped in front of a podium with red-light surrounding it, a thick leather-bound book sitting on top behind glass. “Red sunlamps,” Hank explained, “It helps keep the magic of the book contained while also keeping it hidden from anyone hoping to find it…” He stepped aside so Kara could get a better look.

She recognized the book immediately. She’d thought that it’d burned with the rest of her life the night her parents were murdered, but here it was seemingly unharmed in an underground government building run by a clandesteine organization that she’d only discovered the existence of minutes ago.

Blue leather, with her coven’s crest in bright gold emblazoned on the front. The familiar “S” shape made her heart beat faster as she reached out for it. Her family kept this book in their attic, generally kept the kids from it unless they were being closely watched by an adult. “It’s the Book of Shadows,” She said in awe as she placed her hands on the glass.

“We recovered it from the ruins and have kept it here since,” Hank replied, “It does not belong to us, though. It is yours, but please be aware of the danger you can bring about with the information inside. But, if you truly want to learn… Well, this should contain all the information your family had on the magic world.”

Kara nodded reverently and Hank pressed a few numbers on a keypad, scanned his thumb print, and then leant down so that the small machine next to the book could scan his eyes. There was a soft _click_ and Kara raised the glass box that surrounded the book, placing her hands carefully onto the cover, running her hand down the spin and feeling instantly, somehow, complete.

“Thank you,” she said quietly, picking up the book and holding it to her chest.

“Another thing,” Henshaw said as he approached the wall behind the book and tapped twice, opening a hidden drawer and pulling out a large, red cloth.

“My blankie!” Kara exclaimed, reaching out to take it from him and wrap it around the book, carefully running her hands over the silky-soft fabric.

Henshaw laughed, which was a surprising sound but was warm and put Kara a bit more at ease. “It’s indestructible. It wouldn’t surprise me if they used it as your baby blanket to keep you safe from demon attacks.”

Kara smiled, tears in her eyes, “Thank you for this, thank you. Thank you.” Alex put her arm around her shoulder, rubbing her arm soothingly.

“We’ll have our eyes on you, Miss Danvers,” Hank finished, turning and leaving them in the room by themselves.

“Alex,” Kara said quietly, turning to face her, “Will you help me? Teach me what you know, please? I’m sure you’ve learned enough here about magic that you can help me…”

Alex’s face was that of grave concern, but maybe also… A sense of pride? Like watching your youngest child set off for college or move into their own place for the first time, “Kara, I… You know I don’t approve of this.”

Kara pouted and Alex sighed.

“But I can never say no to you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I feel that this is basically an info-dump but it's kind of important. Things should be picking up in the next chapter with Kara learning about the source of her magic and maybe facing a demon or a warlock for the kind-of first time. More Lena to come, and even some stuff from Lena's perspective so I hope you're ready for that!
> 
> You can bother me on my personal twitter @SeventeenthStar or my fandom one @loveluthor 
> 
> Have a beautiful day and make good choices~!


	3. Everybody's Got A Secret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some magic 101 with Kara and Alex followed by ~dinner~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey I haven't even bothered to read over this so it's probably riddled with mistakes oops. Still, I hope you enjoy.

>   _"I've got some things to say  
> _ _'Cause there's a lot that you don't know  
> _ _It's written on my face  
> _ _It's gonna be hard to swallow  
> _ _(Everybody's got a secret)  
> _ _I got some things to say  
> _ _(Everybody's got a secret)  
> _ _'Cause there's a lot that you don't know  
> _ _(Everybody's got a secret)  
> _ _It's written on my face  
> _ _(Everybody's got a secret)  
> _ _I let the walls come down  
> _ _I let the monster out  
> _ _And it's coming after me (after me)  
> _ _Do you feel exposed  
> _ _Where it hurts the most?  
> _ _Can you wear it on your sleeve?" - 'Secrets' , P!nk_

Kara spent the next few days studying the book whenever she was at home. She knew it wouldn’t be safe outside of her apartment. Any number of things could happen; someone could find it and discover magic, it could be stolen, or most likely Kara could lose it. There was a reason her parents never took The Book of Shadows out of the attic. Kara managed to find a spell to bind the book to her apartment and decided to try that as her first spell. It was simple enough, just five candles and a simple spell to be read aloud. It went off without a hitch, from now on only Kara could remove it from her apartment, just in case of an emergency.

Alex checked in on her every day, still vocal about her disapproval of Kara’s choice, but still she would answer any of Kara’s magic questions and tended to hang around while Kara read. To pass the time, Alex started watching Supernatural while she hung out, and Kara found that it kind of suited the subject, which helped her come up with more questions to look up in the book or to ask her sister. Some things the show was surprisingly spot on with, but mostly they got things terribly wrong. Kara, though, decided not to judge the show based on its accuracy. It was likely written by mortals with no knowledge of the real world’s supernatural things, but it was fiction and really didn’t matter.

The CatCo issue with Kara’s article on Lena was rushed after the incident at the unveiling, becoming the cover story. Kara wrote a second article about the event, accompanied by great shots taken by their new photographer James. Kara, honestly, hadn’t even known he was there. As an added bonus, a beautiful studio shot of Lena had made it to the cover as well. Kara didn’t know when the photos were taken, she hadn’t seen Lena around the building, but James took the cover shot as well. Lena’s eyes were sharp, the green in her eyes powerful and intimidating. She looked very much the part as the CEO of a huge tech and medicine company, but somehow still managed to appear soft even when her jawline could cut easily through glass.

For some reason that she couldn’t explain, perhaps pride over her article, Kara kept three copies of the magazine. One at work, in the top left drawer in her desk, and two at home. One left on the coffee table, and the last in her nightstand next to her bed. Sometimes, while Kara sat on the couch studying and Alex was watching Supernatural, she found herself staring at Lena on the cover. If it hadn’t been for her, this article, their meeting, Kara wouldn’t have been there that day and she wouldn’t have saved Lena and wouldn’t have come to terms with her powers. Lena may still be in danger, and Kara was worried over her acquaintance, but she was grateful for her. (Not grateful that she’d almost died, of course, but if that hadn’t happened would she be where she was now? Probably not.)

The Tuesday the magazine was published, a man arrived with a beautiful bouquet of plumerias for Kara at work. Signed in a beautiful sharp script (Kara wondered if she’d written this herself, but it was more likely that the flower shop had written it, or maybe Lena’s assistant Jess) was a card thanking Kara and inviting her to dinner on Saturday night so she could “properly thank” Kara for the glowing article. Surprised, Kara called Lena’s assistant to confirm the time and place.

The day before their date-er, um, business dinner, Kara sat next to her sister on the couch as she had been all week, reading her family’s book of magic with general awe. “There are so many different kinds of demons,” she commented before taking a huge handful of popcorn and shoving it in her mouth.

“Mhm,” Alex replied, “It’s likely that there’s more than what’s written in there too, Kara. I’m not kidding when I tell you to be careful. The more you use your magic the more you’ll attract demons like this...” She glanced over to see which demon Kara was currently looking at, “A dancing demon, seriously?”

Kara chuckled, “It says here that he’s summoned with a necklace and when he’s brought to the surface, people within a few-mile’s radius begin to act as if they’re in a musical. Singing and dancing! He doesn’t sound so bad.”

“Except for the part that he steals their souls through the music,” Alex responded, tapping that bit written at the bottom of the page.

“Oh.”

Alex laughed, “They’re demons for a reason, Kara. They feed off of mortals in one way or another, or just thrive off of chaos and death. There are no good demons.”

Kara considered this, flipping through page after page of different kinds of demons. Low level, meaning they were considered low on what Kara had decided to call the demon food chain. They rarely came to the surface (she’d learned early on in the book that miles below them there was actually a hell-like place where demons resided) due to their other-worldly looks; sometimes scales, horns, crazy colored eyes, or even fur, extra limbs, or actual paws. High level demons were the ones that witches most commonly dealt with, but they were obviously much harder to find. They tended to blend in, they looked just like normal people. She stared at the portrait drawn on the page of a man, a demon, with soft-looking eyes, greying hair, and a well-trimmed beard.

“Every last one of them, Alex? It feels strange that an entire race of beings could be evil,” Kara mused.

Alex laughed, “Kara, of course they’re all evil! They’re _demons_ . They kill thousands of people a year, possibly more, just because they can. Demons don’t feel emotions, they can’t even feel the grass beneath their feet. They’re… shells for negative feelings, at least the higher-level demons are. Hatred, jealousy, lust for power. That’s all they are. And they _hate_ witches, Kara. Even more so than Warlocks. It’s commonly believed that female humans that hold magic are much more powerful than men.”

Kara tilted her head, “Is that true?”

Alex shrugged, grabbing her beer from the coffee table and leaning back into the couch, “I really don’t know. We haven’t been able to confirm that at the DSO, we don’t have a way to measure the power of certain magic yet, but there’s not much of a reason _not_ to believe it. Most of the so-called magic heroes from history were female, though most of it is folktales.” She took a swig of her beer, turning her attention back to the TV, “I like the idea of women holding more power, though,” she smiled, “I think I’d enjoy this show more if Sam and Dean were women, but I can appreciate their bromance.”

Kara found herself staring at Lena’s cover photo again, for some reason. _Women having more power_ is _more attractive, I suppose…_

 

Kara was late. Kara was almost always late, though, even with her superspeed she had poor time-management skills. She’d tried on maybe ten different outfits before deciding on something that was maybe more business-casual, she wasn’t sure what kind of place her dinner with Lena would be at. All she had was an address and a time. She didn’t want to go too casual, or too formal, so she’d settled on a pair of dress pants that showed off her curves and ended at the ankle so she should properly show off her shiny pair of silver heels, and a dark blue button-up. _Blue is your color_ , Alex had told her many times when Kara was nervous before dates, but this wasn’t a date. She didn’t have to greatly impress Lena Luthor, it’s not like she was romancing her or trying to work for her or something. It was just a dinner thanking her for her article, that was it.

When Kara arrived at the restaurant she was surprised by what she found. It was a small vietnamese place, obviously family-owned, but nearly every table and booth was full of people chatting and eating Pho with pleased expressions. Kara could smell the food from outside, it was _wonderful_ and she rushed inside.

A boy who must have been sixteen greeted her immediately with a big smile. “Hey there!” He said, “Seat for you? Take out, maybe? We are very full tonight if you don’t want to stay it still tastes great wherever you ar-”

“Miss Danvers!” Came Lena’s familiar voice from a nearby booth where she sat alone at the back of the restaurant, casually waving Kara over with a smile.

“Oh! I didn’t realize you were here to meet Lena,” said the boy, a fond tone in his voice, “head on back. I’ll be over to take your drink order in a moment.”

Kara approached Lena, pleased to see that her attire wasn’t too-far off from what Kara herself was wearing, but _of course_ she looked incredible. Her hair was fully down, her eyes even more striking than they were on the cover of CatCo magazine. She stood when Kara reached the table, reaching out a hand to touch Kara’s hand. Not quite a shake, more of a fond hand-squeeze that surprised her. They both sat down and Lena slipped her a menu with a smile. “So glad you could make it! This is my favorite vietnamese restaurant in California, much better than anything we had back in Metropolis. Their vegetarian Pho is amazing.”

Kara’s eyebrows rose, “You’re a vegetarian?”

“On my better days,” Lena replied with a mischievous grin that made Kara’s pulse quicken, making her laugh awkwardly and adjust her glasses.

“Thank you, um, Miss Luthor,” Kara said as she investigated the menu, “For inviting me. It was a big surprise to me!”

“Lena, please,” Lena replied, tapping her nails on the table as she watched Kara go through the menu, “I wanted to thank you for that article, Miss Danvers. It was… so well written, and I think your glowing review will be very good for L-Corp.”

“If I’m calling you Lena, you’re calling me Kara,” she said, deciding on a chicken pho and an order of potstickers as an appetizer. (She was thrilled to find that they had potstickers here, and was definitely going to take advantage.) “I was just doing my job, Lena. Everything I said was the truth.”

“Not everyone is as honest as you.”

Before Kara could ask her what she meant, the boy from before returned to take their order. Lena ordered spring rolls and the vegetarian pho, as well as a boba tea and Kara tilted her head as the boy just nodded, not writing any of her order down and turning to Kara expectantly. “You don’t copy down the orders on a notepad or something?” Kara asked, simply curious.

The boy smiled, “Great memory. I never use a pad. Not to mention that Lena has been coming here for weeks and always orders the same thing.”

Impressed, Kara told him her order and the boy walked into the kitchen.

 

The food was just as great as Lena had said, if not better. Lena watched her with awe as she ate the entire plate of potstickers followed by her soup which she very nearly drowned in hot sauce and jalapenos. They talked about Kara’s job as a journalist and her previous position as Cat’s assistant, it turned out that Lena knew Cat and it turned into Kara telling Lena stories of some of Cat Grant’s most outrageous moments which made her smile and laugh, which Kara loved. When Kara finished her food, she sat back with a happy sigh and Lena was watching her with a fond look in her eye, her chin resting in one of her hands.

“What?” Kara asked, wondering why Lena was staring at her, “Do I have something on my face?”

Lena blinked, pulling back as if she’d forgotten something. “Yes, yes you do. You’ve got hot sauce on your nose. It’s been there… awhile.” She smiled and Kara’s eyes grew wide and she picked up her napkin to wipe at her nose, coming up with nothing. “I’m joking, Kara,” Lena said with a glint in her eye, “You don’t have anything on your face.”

Kara gave her a dirty look, causing Lena to laugh again as Kara changed to pout at her instead. Lena put her hand to her chest in a dramatic fashion and raised her eyebrows at her, “Oh, darling. You’re making me feel like I just kicked a puppy.” Kara smiled and Lena laughed again.

“Thank you, Lena. For inviting me out. This was really great,” Kara said.

“Wasn’t it?” Lena was very-nearly _beaming_ and Kara was surprised by it. This woman was far more at ease than the one she’d met with Clark in her office. It was also a relief that she seemed unbothered by her near-death experience only days ago. Kara wondered what Lena thought it was that caused her to choke on the stage that day. Maybe nerves? “Actually, Kara,” Lena interrupted her thoughts, “I haven’t been in the city long, and I don’t have any friends here. Granted, they like me at this restaurant but that’s about it,” she laughed, but she sounded nervous, “I was hoping that maybe we could be friends?”

Kara couldn’t help the smile that formed on her face, inspite of Clark’s voice ringing in the back of her head _Luthor’s are bad news, Kara._ She nodded enthusiastically. “Of course! I love the sound of that.”

Lena looked momentarily relieved. “Great, that’s great,” She stood up, reaching her hand out to Kara again, which she accepted and Lena gave it a small squeeze again. “I’m afraid I need to go now. I have a meeting in an hour back at L-Corp.”

 _A meeting?_ Kara glanced at her watch, it was nearly 9PM.

Lena noticed Kara’s confused look, “Some people apparently only come out when the suns down,” she laughed, “It’s an overseas call, it’s much earlier there.”

Kara nodded, “What about the check? He never brought it by…”

“It’s covered,” Lena said simply, grabbing her purse and lifting it over her shoulder, “Give me your phone? I’ll program my number.”

Kara stood, pulling her phone out of her purse and handing it to Lena with a smile, “Awesome, I’ll text you later so you have my number too!”

Lena arched an eyebrow as she typed in her information. “You don’t lock your phone, Kara? No pin or fingerprint scan?”

Kara shook her head, “I guess I hadn’t thought about it.”

“You’re very trusting.”

“My sister says that too, but she says I’m _too_ trusting,” Kara responded with a small laugh.

“You really should add a pin though, Kara. You never know who’s going to pick up your phone and go through it,”

It wasn’t surprising that Lena thought like that. She was a CEO after all, someone going through her e-mails could really mean trouble for her. “I don’t have anything to hide,” she responded simply. She knew Lena was right, though. If her phone was stolen she wouldn’t exactly want someone going through her information or making long distance calls or something.

“Everyone has their secrets, Kara,” Lena replied seriously, giving Kara back her phone, “Even you.”

Kara nodded dumbly, a little taken aback by Lena’s statement.

“Until next time,” Lena said, her voice more cheerful, almost as if that small shift in conversation hadn’t just happened.

“Uh, ye-yeah.”

Lena turned and left without another word, leaving Kara standing alone next to their booth to contemplate that one small moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've never had Pho, you haven't been living. 
> 
> Yell at me on my personal twitter @SeventeenthStar or my fandom one @loveluthor
> 
> Have a beautiful day and don't forget to make good choices!


	4. Small Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's talk about covens n stuff

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the incredibly short chapter, but I only wrote this because I couldn't sleep. I had planned on writing a longer chapter tomorrow, but now I guess I'll just split it into two chapters haha. It's 3AM here and I have school in the morning. Insomnia is a beast! Anyway, enjoy some Danvers sisters investigating and Harry Potter references.

> _"We're welded in gridlock_   
>  _We're watching the wall clock_   
>  _All the literate small talk keeps us sane._   
>  _We work by the windows_   
>  _Feels soft where the wind blows._   
>  _All the literate small talk keeps us sane." - 'Small Talk', Faded Paper Figures_

The moment she got home, Kara sent Lena a text so she would have her number and could contact her whenever.

**Kara:** hey you, it’s your new bff not to move this too fast or anything :P

Lena’s response was almost instant, if not short and simple. Just a smiley emoji, nothing else. Kara figured that Lena was probably busy with her meeting or whatever, but she was surprised that she responded so quickly.

She slept well that night.

 

A few days went by, just as they had been for the past short while. Kara would get home from work and open up the book, but now she’d started searching specifically to find who would be the most likely to have killed her family. At this point, it could be anybody. The book was full of demons who would have loved to kill her coven, apparently the Coven of Krypton was highly hated and feared in the underworld. Kara chopped it up to her family’s innate “do-gooder” attitude. It probably didn’t please the demons too much. On top of the demons, there were other covens. Some were good, some were bad, and some… well, some were in sort of a grey area. For instance, the book had quite a few pages on the Coven of Daxam; a group of witches and wizards who had a long-going feud with her own coven, but there had been no deaths in years as they’d reached a sort of truce. The Daxamites weren’t all bad, they just tended to use their magic with little regard to how it would affect the ordinary people around them.

Ordinary people. People without magic. The book had no word to describe them and Kara felt odd categorizing them as separate from herself; she was still human, still mortal. And she considered those without magic no lower than herself. They were her friends. Staring blankly at a page about Changelings she considered the idea of un-magicals and what term she could use…

Muggles. They were muggles.

Harry Potter, surprisingly useful even today.

Alex laughed heartily when Kara relayed this information to her.

“We’ve been referring to them as UnSups at the DSO for years, but that is… so much better? I’ll have to tell Hank, it’s pretty great,” she laughed and took a huge chug of her beer.

“UnSups?”

“Ah, the Un-Supernatural. Muggles just sounds so much easier, though. I wonder if Hank would accept it, I don’t think he’s a fan of Harry Potter.”

Kara found out two days later that Director Hank Henshaw was, in fact, a huge Harry Potter fan and changed the term for UnSubs to Muggles in the DSO almost immediately. Alex was so excited when she shared this with Kara, who laughed over finding out that Hank took the Pottermore Sorting Hat quiz some time ago and was, in fact, a Gryffindor.

In the meantime, Kara and Lena had been carrying on a steady text conversation. Kara discovered that Lena’s texts were very long (spanning multiple texts) or just one or two words, there was no inbetween. Lena was private, too. She didn’t answer a lot of personal questions but she was amazing at deflecting them, and she was witty, snarky. Kara loved their conversations, even if somehow it was only smalltalk, it was still so engaging. Lena was like a puzzle, some kind of mystery that Kara was eager to solve. But, maybe, she was using this as a distraction from the real mysteries at hand: One, who was out to kill Lena and two, who murdered Kara’s coven? It was a lot, and Kara had no leads to go on.

Putting her family’s murder aside for now, Kara decided to focus on what was more present, especially with Lena being in danger. The man she fought in that alley was a Warlock, a member of a coven. Maybe Kara could find his coven in the Book of Shadows, somehow.

She lucked out after three days of reading, leaving bookmarks on pages of covens and demons that could possibly be involved. The Almera Coven, also known as the Bounty Hunters of the magic world.

Walking back and forth with the book in her hands, Kara read aloud to Alex who’d paused Netflix to listen. “The book says that they’re paid in powers to kill people, good or bad. It doesn’t matter to them so long as they get paid. Sometimes, they work as hitmen in the muggle world as well. Maybe one of L-Corp’s competitors hired a Warlock from the coven to kill Lena?”

Alex shrugged, “I mean, it’s possible. We’ve been after the Almera Coven for some time, but they’re very good at using their magic in near-unnoticable ways. They’re very discreet and hard to pin down. Muggles who hire them don’t know of their magic, they just know they’re good and leave no evidence.”

“The way the man attacked, with a spell to choke Lena on stage… It would appear as some sort of freak accident or something. No one would know that someone killed her. I’d call that discreet.”

“Sure, but why kill her on stage? Make a scene of it?”

Kara hummed as she thought, falling back into the loveseat with the book in her lap, “Maybe to leave a message.”

“Yeah, but to who? The audience.”

“It was televised, all over the news. You could see it anywhere. Maybe even wherever Lex Luthor is hiding.”

Alex’s eyes widened, “It could have been someone who was wronged by one of his crazy inventions.”

“Or his immoral business practices.”

“That hasn’t been confirmed, but it is a good point,” Alex nodded, leaning forward with her arms resting on her knees, “It isn’t a bad place to start, Kara. Even in the Almera Coven isn’t behind the attack, they may know something. We could even go through the DSO files we have on the coven to see if you recognize any of the men from the clan.”

“Would Director Henshaw be okay with that?”

Alex considered this, taking another sip of her beer and picking at the label, “I think this could give us a way to actually bring the coven down. You’re a witness, that gives us reason to bring him in if we find him in the files. Henshaw would be thrilled.”

“First thing tomorrow, then?”

“First thing tomorrow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey tell me I'm trash on twitter @SeventeenthStar or @LoveLuthor


	5. Hypnotic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stuff starts to kinda happen and oh here's a surprise, some of Lena's perspective!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> School got me by my gay balls, ya'll.

> _"You took to me so well_   
>  _Hypnotic taking over me_   
>  _Make me feel like someone else_   
>  _You got me talking in my sleep_   
>  _I don't wanna come back down_   
>  _I don't wanna touch the ground_   
>  _Pacific Ocean, dug so deep_   
>  _Hypnotic taking over me" - 'Hypnotic', Zella Day_

“No... no… hmmm... no…”

Kara and her sister were seated in one of the smaller meeting rooms inside the DSO, sitting side by side in office chairs while Alex showed her face after face on a rather large tablet. They’d been looking for the Warlock for a good forty-five minutes and so far Kara hadn’t recognized any of them.

“Are there really this many men in the Almera Coven?” Kara asked with a sigh, spinning her chair around, “I’m so boooored.”

“They like to breed. They’re a bit like rabbits. I think it’s something to do with the danger of their job. They lose coven members so often that they try to make up for it… That _does_ lead to each generation being ten times larger than the last.”

Kara paused her spinning, “If there are truly so many people in this coven, and so many covens… Why was mine so small? What made us so easy to wipe out?”

Alex set the tablet down beside her and reached over to take Kara’s hand, “Kara… I… I wondered this myself, honestly. It was the first thing I looked into when I started to work here, when I was given access the DSO’s files and… There’s many entries about attacks on your family, your coven, but there’s… no explicit reason why. Years before you were born, there were maybe two hundred Kryptonians in the United States alone, most of them here in National City.”

“Tw-two hundred?” Kara sputtered out, shocked, “That’s… there was…” Her shoulders dropped, “Now there’s only Clark and myself.”

Alex nodded solemnly, “I’m sorry.”

There was a moment of silence while Kara soaked in this new information. “What’s… what’s the average? In members in a single coven, I mean?”

Alex picked the tablet back up and tapped her fingers on the side. “It depends on the coven, really. Some are small families, with as little as five. The largest coven is the European-based Coven of Tysja, there’s somewhere around five thousand around the world, but they’re generally pretty harmless. Our guesstimation of the average members is around one hundred and fifty.”

“There’s… a lot of witches out there, huh?”

Alex laughed, “Sure, but the majority are actually Muggles with knowledge of magic who are sort of honorary members. They have no powers themselves. Your coven, though, was entirely magical as far as we’re aware, but most of what we know about the Coven of Krypton is hearsay. We don’t have many first-hand accounts.”

“There’s quite a bit on the history of Krypton in the Book of Shadows. I mean, it’s written in Kryptonian, but I thought that maybe you’d be able to translate it or something while you had it.”

“We couldn’t even open the book, Kara. It’s protected magically. Like most Book of Shadows they’ll open only to members of the coven and those they trust implicitly.”

“I trust you.”

Alex smiled, “Yes, but you hadn’t touched it in some time. Your connection with it was weak. It opens for me now. I may have taken a peek.”

Kara chuckled, “Did you learn anything?” She grabbed her coffee and began to take a drink.

“Eh, just to avoid Florida, but I think that was already common knowledge,” Alex said with a sly grin and Kara snorted.

“I think-” she stuttered, “I think some coffee just came out my nose,” she was holding her hand in front of her knows, coughing but laughing.

 

After cleaning up Kara’s nose-coffee-spill, they finally went back to work looking through the Almera files. It took only three minutes for Kara to finally spot the man they were looking for. “No, go back! Go back! It’s him! That guy! With the, uh, eyes. Yeah, him!” She exclaimed, pointing wildly at the screen.

“Oh,” was Alex’s reply.

Kara had stood up and was swaying forward and backward on her feet, needing to release all the pent-up energy she had from sitting for so long. “Oh?”

Alex closed her eyes tight, leaning forward and massaging her temples. “You never make anything easy.”

Kara snatched the tablet from Alex’s lap and began to read aloud, “Jazz Alms, thirty-four, ex-military…”

“He worked for the DSO before being recruited by a new special government military group. They were trying to use Warlocks as weapons, their magic was useful and they thought they could… control it,” Alex shook her head and leaned back in her chair, staring at the ceiling, “There was some kind of incident, all of the information on it is redacted but, we do know that out of twenty-one wiccan soldiers on the squad, only two survived. He was dishonorably discharged. Now he’s near-impossible to find.”

“I think I have an idea of how to find him.”

 

The room was dark, covered in soft shadows from all the sharp edges of the office. The windows had been tinted to near-black, it was far too bright outside currently. Lena sat at her desk with her elbows on the cool wood and her head resting in her hands. Her hair had been in a tight pony tail for the majority of the day, but she’d let it loose and it rested on her shoulders, some of it hanging around her face, in her fingers. It was messy, but at the time she didn’t care.

There was a bright light and Lena couldn’t contain her groan.

“Miss Luthor,” came the apprehensive voice of the man who’d appeared in the irritating flash of light.

“Mon-El,” Lena responded hoarsely.

Lena heard footsteps approaching the front of her desk, the sound may have been quiet but to her it sounded as though each step was someone hitting a drum right next to her ears. It made her want to reach over the desk, wrap her long fingers around his throat until his face grew white and the glimmer in his eyes was gone from this world. She could do it, too. He wouldn’t even fight it, no, he knew he could never lay a hand on her even in defense, and she may even receive a pat on the back from the men she was currently trying to satiate.

“Another migraine?” He said in a soft voice and she dropped her hands, looking up at him for the first time since he’d flashed in.

She made a fist with a shaky hand, lowering it slowly onto the desk, her knuckles growing white. “You would have one too if you had to deal with those demons all day.” She could see him crystal clear, even in the darkness. His brown hair was done neatly on his head, not a hair out of place. Hazel eyes-almost brown-watched her carefully as she eyed him. He could not see her as clearly as she could see him. “You have the files,” it wasn’t a question, she could see them in his arms; held to his chest as if he was trying to hide behind them. 

Lena made several slow, deep breaths, reminding herself that Mon-El was on _her_ side. One of the very few within the company she actually trusted to help her with her hidden agenda. Her brother, her mother, the board, the current direction of the company, herself... The enemy wasn't him. 

She made a motion for him to hand over what he had. He took one step closer to the desk, as close as he dared, and reached an arm out to give her the two files. One file was much bigger than the other, that wasn’t good news.

“What did you find?” She asked, opening the smaller file in front of her and glancing at the words with frustration.

“Maxwell Lord,” he began, his voice gaining more confidence, “There’s nothing he’s done in his company to catch him on. All the financials are clean and he has all the proper permits and patents. There isn’t even so much as a harassment complaint against him.

“Rare for a man with his kind of power,” she commented, closing the file and tossing it aside.

“He could be very good at burying that sort of thing, or maybe he’s a different person than he presents to the Board.”

Tapping her fingers one by one on the desk, her nails making soft sounds, she stared at the couch behind Mon-El, “That’s… not a terrible observation.”

Mon-El laughed, “I’m more than a pretty face Miss Luthor.”

“And yet that’s all I hired you for,” she said with a sly smile, the waves of pain in her head having subsided for a short moment.

Mon-El relaxed, the tension in his body sinking through his body and out through his toes. Lena felt guilty for her initial reaction to him appearing to her, just trying to do the job she paid him for.

“It’s worth looking into,” she said, “Have your contact search for more personal details on him. Who he cares about, where he frequents, collecting texts wouldn’t be a bad idea either. We need to dig deeper on him to make sure we can trust him.”

“Uh, are you sure about that? Isn’t that, like, kinda morally wrong?”

Lena raised an eyebrow at him, sliding the larger folder closer to her and opening it to the first page. “Bit funny coming from a Daxamite.”

He scoffed, “good point.”

“Now tell me what your guy got on Edge.”

Mon-El smiled, “We got a mountain of information on Edge’s more _shady_ business dealings, not to mention some money laundering, at least seventeen known payoffs on sexual harassment suits, and the big one: proof of human trafficking.”

Lena’s eyes widened, “Excuse me?”

“His clan used to be infamous for their mind-wiping abilities, although none of his family has been born with the power for generations. It appears that he, or one of his cousins that he keeps close, has the ability and they’re using it to wipe the mind of Ordinaries.”

Lena felt her stomach turn, “Something like that would make mind-control incredibly easy.” She stood up, but immediately felt dizzy and fell back into her office chair.

Mon-El rushed around the table, and put a strong hand around her wrist, “Lena…”

“Don’t,” her other hand was back on her head, the waves of pain making a power encore in her head.

He pulled away quickly, “Do you need more of the tonic? Doesn’t it help with the headaches, the changes in mood…?”

She sighed and tapped a button on the side of her desk, illuminating the room as the tint on the windows lessened and the sun shone through. “I… I’m not so sure. That’s… something I need you to check on. _Discreetly._ Get a sample from the lab, a small one, and bring it to me. They never leave me alone with the tonic for me to take a sample, but one of your so-called friends should be able to fetch some. They somehow trust them more than me.”

“Haven’t you needed the tonic since you were born?”

Lena’s face darkened, “No. Since I was four.”

 

A blue crystal floated in the air over a map that Kara and Alex had found at a nearby gas station. It spun in circles, moving smoothly over the map as it searched.

“It’s called ‘scrying’,” Kara was waving her hands wildly as she spoke, Alex watching with ill-hidden amusement at her sister’s excitement, “You need to have something, some sort of connection, to whoever you’re searching for so the Crystal can find them, but when he burned me he connected us via magic so we should be able to find him! Usually you need something belonging to them, some blood, a photo… Something of that nature. We seriously lucked out!”

Alex raised her eyebrows, “I never thought I’d see you get excited over getting hurt. Your pain tolerance level is easily a zero.”

Kara narrowed her eyes at her sister, “Says the girl who cried the entire time they were doing her tattoo.”

Alex looked away and walked around the table, “So how long does this take?”

_Nice change of subject there,_ Kara thought with amusement. “I really don’t know.”

Alex plopped herself down on a chair, throwing her legs up onto the table, “Maybe I can finally sit you down and make you watch The L Word. God knows how long this will take.”

“Hey! Get your darn boots off my table! I eat there!” Kara pushed Alex’s feet off with an angry look, “and we both know you will _never_ get me to watch The L Word!” Crossing her arms, she spoke more quietly, “You know all the sex scenes make me uncomfortable.”

“You’re a damn prude,” Alex joked, lifting her feet right back onto the table.

“Hey!” Kara exclaimed, moving to push Alex out of her chair entirely.

The door to her apartment swung open, a familiar voice singing Ariana Grande’s ‘thank u, next’, made Kara turn around as Alex fell flat on the floor. “I hope you’re ready to get your ass kicked ‘cause I brought Chaos In The Old World and I’m feelin’ that evil-god vibe after work tod-” Winn paused, the door slamming behind him as he took in the scene. Kara, standing next to Alex who’d just fallen on her ass and a shining crystal, spinning like magic over the dining room table.

“What… What is that?” His eyes growing wide, and as if on cue the Crystal fell down onto the table, standing straight up and pointing to an address on the map.

Alex jumped up and Kara turned back to the table with a sense of urgency. They’d finally found him.

Oh, and also… What in the seven hells were they going to tell Winn?

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have feelings? Don't? Either way you should bother me on twitter on my personal @SeventeenthStar or my fandom account @loveluthor 'cause I have, like, zero friends in the fandom oops.
> 
> I hope you're having a fantastic day! Don't forget to make good choices! ;)


	6. Devil Like Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stuff finally happens or something idk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize, this is likely riddled with mistakes. This is what happens when I try and post a chapter every day oops

> _"Is the devil so bad if he cries in his sleep, while the earth turns_   
>  _And his kids learned to say, fuck you they don't, love you_   
>  _Does the devil get scared if she dies in her dreams, where the earth burns?_   
>  _She cries cause she's nothing like you, is she like you?_   
>  _What you want from a devil like me, devil like me?_   
>  _You see the devil don't mean to be evil, he just regrettably forgets to exceed expectations" - 'Devil Like Me', Rainbow Kitten Surprise_

Kara was jittery in the passenger seat of Alex’s old mustang, her fingers tapping on her knees, Winn sitting behind her in silence with an unreadable expression on his face as Alex sped through the city toward their destination.

They hadn’t given themselves time to give Winn a full explanation to what he saw, they’d grabbed him by both arms and nearly carried him out to the car ask he wildly asked questions and Alex had to keep shushing him. He got into the car willingly, Kara and Alex taking their places in front, shutting their doors with a simultaneous _slam_ and pausing for a good thirty seconds to collect themselves.

Kara turned to Alex with wide eyes, “He saw.”

“Yes,” came Alex’s reply.

“Winn saw me using magic.”

“Yes,” Alex said again.

There was another pause as Winn opened his mouth to say something, but Alex cut him off with a threatening glare.

“Should you tell him or should I?” Kara asked.

“He’s _your_ friend,” Alex raised her eyebrows at Kara as she spoke.

“Yes, but…”

Winn grumbled in the back seat, “I thought we were friends too, Alex.”

She ignored him, “It’s not my job, Kara. You’re the idiot who left your door unlocked!”

Kara sighed, “What do I tell him, though?”

Winn squirmed in the back seat, “Did you forget I’m right here?”

Kara turned in her seat, moving to sit backwards with her knees on the seat cushions and her hands resting on either side of the head rest, her head tilting so she could look right at him, “I’m a witch.”

“A witch,” Winn wrinkled his nose, his shoulders drooping.

“Well don’t look so disappointed!” Kara said.

“I’m sorry, I just thought that, like… I don’t know. Maybe you were an alien? Somehow witch just doesn’t sound as exciting. Less comic-book superhero and more Twilight or something.”

“There aren’t witches in Twilight,” Alex responded, finally putting her keys in the ignition and starting up the Mustang.

Kara turned to Alex, pointing a finger at her, “I _knew_ you read it!”

Alex grumbled, “I was somehow hoping that Bella and Alice would get together.”

“That’s what fanfic is for,” Winn shrugged and Kara turned around to sit normally and put on her seatbelt. _Safety first!_

“So… what were you doing, what _can_ you do, and where are we going?”

Flash forward and they explained to Winn as best as they could on the drive over. He’d, surprisingly, only asked those three questions and was silent after. He seemed to be taking it all in, maybe it had shaken Winn’s view of the world; he _was_ very much a science and logic guy.

“Okay.” He said finally with a nod as Alex made an easy turn.

“Okay?” Kara asked, meeting his eyes in the rearview mirror.

“Yeah, okay. It’s kinda cool, really. It’s like we’re a D&D party and you’re the battlemage and Alex is the caster. I can get behind that. Bard, maybe? Hm, no… I’m lacking in the charisma, though I’d hate to admit it…”

Alex and Kara exchanged a surprised look as the car eased in front of a rustic-looking bar. “This is it,” Alex said, and they all looked out the window to get a better look of the place. “Let’s hope he’s still here…” Alex shut off the car. “Are you ready, sis?” Alex asked Kara, her eyes full of concern.”

“Yeah, um. Is there a plan here or are we just fly in there on brooms, wands blazing?”

Kara unbuckled her seatbelt. “We don’t fly on brooms or use wands. At least… I don’t think we do.”

“He’s right. Do we have a plan?”

“Well, not really, I was thinking we’d just wing it.”

Alex tapped her fingers on the bottom of the wheel, “If we can get him to admit what he did in front of a government official, then we can bring him in. Or, if he attacks you then it’s assault and I can bring him in that as well. You’re already a witness to the first crime, if you can I.D. him after he’s brought in then we can take him down for both things. I’d much rather we get him to admit it somehow, though.”

“Maybe you could get him to brag or something? Go in and flirt a bit and get him drinking or something and it should come out pretty easy, right?”

Alex tilted her head, “He’d recognize her instantly, and I’m _not_ doing that.”

“I can his accept his offer.” Kara decided.

“What? You mean how he offered you a place in his coven?” Alex questioned.

“Yeah, I mean... I found him so I’ve obviously proven myself useful, and maybe we could also find out if he’s working with someone.”

Alex didn’t appear convinced, “Do you think you could pull off the whole undercover thing? You’re not exactly the best liar.”

“I hid who I was my whole life. This will be easy.”

“Okay, ummm… take this with you,” Winn was rifling through his bag and pulled out a Iron Man pin.

Kara took the pin, confused. “Uh, thanks but no thanks?”

Winn was taking his laptop out of his bag, shuffling around. “It’s a camera, Kara. So we can keep an eye on you and see and hear what’s going on. You can hear us clearly out here using your powers, right?”

“Winn. What the hell are you doing with this kind of equipment?” Alex’s eyes were slits as she stared down at him.

Winn shrugged, “I like spy movies? I thought it might come in handy.”

“But you just _had_ it with you?” Alex asked as Kara pinned the tiny camera onto the front of her cardigan.

“I mean, yeah. You never know when you might need it in an emergency.”

“What _kind_ of emergency?” Alex was staring at him, shaking her head in disbelief.

“Uh, Alex?” Winn waved his hand in a wide motion around him, “This is literally the kind of emergency.”

Alex rolled her eyes and Kara smiled.

“To answer your earlier question; Yes, I will be able to hear you from inside. You could be blocks away and I could still hear you.”

Winn was jumping up and down in his seat, “Ooooh, yes! This is so cool!”

Kara chuckled. “See you on the other side,” she and Alex shared a quick nod and Kara stepped out of the car. She took a deep breath and placed her hands on her hips. It was something she did whenever she needed a little extra confidence. She took one last look at her sister, who waved and gave her a reassuring smile. _You can do this, Kara. You almost beat him before if things turn bad, and you have Alex who can rush in at any moment. Not to mention, we’re in public. You’ve got this._

 

Lena’s migraine had lessened as the day went on, but she couldn’t help but feel that they were symptoms of withdrawal. Her stomach felt like an ocean storm, she was cold and shivering, but small droplets of sweat dropped from her forehead. She hadn’t taken the tonic in nearly a month, her mother hadn’t been around and none of her little ‘workers’ could force Lena into taking it. They were all afraid of Lena, and the only person Lena feared was Lillian; her so-called mother.

She’d been warned all her life that if she didn’t take her tonic, she would deteriorate over time. Her body growing weak, her mind going fuzzy. This is the longest she’d gone without it since college when she’d gone without it for six months.

After a month and a half of not taking it, the symptoms had subsided and she felt… So much more torn over who she was and what she wanted to do. She weighed each decision with careful consideration, fighting the part of her that wanted to do any harm. In a way, her mother was right. Her mind _was_ fuzzy, but only because of the crossroads that turned every which direction inside her.

_Not like them, not like them, not like them…_ Her current mantra, repeated in the back of her head now as she considered what Mon-El had told her.

Morgan Edge was stealing people, using them for _something_ as slaves and likely mind-wiping them. He could likely use them for whatever he wanted.

Mon-El had managed to find one of the people that Edge had taken. In the files he gave Lena she read that her name was Allison Grey, and she was only eighteen. No one knows how long she was working for Edge, apparently her memories of her time there are vague, but she does remember getting out. How? How was this one girl the only one to manage an escape? Had Edge let her go? Did she somehow fight the mind-wipes?

Lena held a glass in her hand close to her mouth, but not taking a drink. She mused over this new information and what they could do with it. Of course, she didn’t want to harm the girl. That wouldn’t help her at all. But bring her in, perhaps? No, she’s likely wary of large companies after her escape.

They didn’t know for sure where she was living, but they had solid information on where she frequented. They knew where she was working, albeit under a false name. Alice Green, Lena wasn’t sure what she was thinking, picking a name so similar to her real one, but it didn’t matter. She took a long drink from her glass, placing it back down on the desk and drumming her fingers as she considered her next move.

She had so many questions, questions that at this point only Allison could answer. Maybe she should pay her a visit herself.

 

The bar was dark, the blinds were old but did a respectable job covering the windows. The rays of sun that managed to make it inside illuminated dust floating in the air. The room was probably only twenty five feet wide and forty feet long, not leaving much room for tables which sat in a singular line on the left side, nearly sitting against the wall across from the long bar where a female bartender was pouring a scotch into a glass for a woman sitting on a wooden stool in front of her. On the farthest end sat a man, nursing a large glass of beer with a hood over his head. _Bingo,_ Kara thought with a smile as she crossed the room with purpose, sitting right next to him.

“Jazz, was it?” Kara asked, raising a hand to grab the bartender’s attention.

The man barely moved his head toward her, the hood covering enough of his face that Kara couldn’t make it out. But his gruff voice was unmistakable. “So you found me, kid. You here for round two?”

“Not quite,” Kara replied just as the bartender came before them. Her hair red and her eyes a soft hazel, she was obviously young, but her eyes were tired-looking. She was wearing long sleeves, but Kara could see scars on her wrists that likely continued up her arm, likely made by lashes or… something tied around her and up her arms tight enough to cut into her skin.

“What can I get ya?” The bartender spoke with a very light southern accent.

“Just a club soda, please?” If the bartender was surprised that Kara wasn’t buying alcohol, she didn’t show it. She poured the drink and slid it in front of Kara.

“That’ll be four dollars.”

Kara went to reach for her purse, but found nothing. She was an idiot and had left it in the car with Winn and Alex. _Well this is awkward_ , Kara thought, _I can’t exactly just walk out of here now…_ “Oh, darn! I left my wallet in my car… I, uh, I guess I’ll have to go and get it-”

“I’ll cover it,” a familiar voice said from behind them and Kara turned her head to see Lena standing there with a sly smile, “Fancy seeing you here, Kara.”

_“Is that Lena_ **_Luthor_** _?”_ Winn said excitedly from inside the car.

_“What the fuck is Lena doing there?!”_ Alex said, and Kara could hear her pushing Winn to the side, likely to get a better view of the screen.

Kara’s mouth dropped open, glancing down the bar she realized that the woman she’d noticed earlier was Lena. _By the gods, what is she doing here? With the man who tried to kill her sitting right next to me…_  “L-Lena!” Kara sounded out of breath, but she was really only surprised, “What, uh, what are you doing here? This doesn’t really seem like your kind of place…”

“Oh I just _love_ biker bars,” she replied with a grin, “Mind if I sit?”

_Shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot! Lena you shouldn’t be in here!_

Kara’s eyes widened, “Um, actually, maybe we could…” Her mind was running a blank so her eyes darted around trying to find something to give her ideas. She never was very good at improv in her theater classes in high school.

Jazz threw his glass down on the table, surprising all three women around him and they all turned to look at them. He cleared his throat, “how did I get so lucky?”

_Oh no._

“Alone in a bar, drinking decent beer, surrounded by three beauties.” Kara could see his smile just under the hood and she stood nervously.

“Lena…” Concern filled her voice, and she grabbed onto Lena’s arm.

Jazz stood slowly, “Who would like to go first?”

Kara could hear both Alex and Winn outside, speaking quickly over one another, both telling her to get out now.

The eyes of the bartender widened, and she stood a steady step back.

Lena’s eyes narrowed at him, “Excuse me?”

His laugh was more than unsettling. It was deep, broken sounding, and it sent a shiver up Kara’s spine. He rolled up his sleeves slowly, then made a quick move to grab at Lena. The girl behind the bar dove down instantly, as if she was ready for the man to attack her, and Kara pushed Lena aside making her stumble against a chair. “Don’t you touch her!” Kara hissed, moving her body in front of Lena’s and taking a fighting stance.

He grinned, lowering his hood and revealing his face. It was different than the first time they’d met, now he had a long scar from just above his eyebrow, over his eye, and down to his chin. His eye was pale now, nearly white. _Rao, what happened to him?!_ “You can leave, you know. Leave the girl and the CEO here for me, they’re all I need. Somehow Luthor showed up right before I made my move, surprised me enough there for a target to walk directly into my path but then _you_ show up.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Kara growled.

“Ever the white knight, huh?” As he spoke, the girl nearly made it to the front door but Jazz tilted his head to look at her, waving his hand meaningfully, “No use running, Allison. No one’s going in or out of here until either I’m dead or I remove the spell. There’s now a magical barrier at each of the windows and doors.” The barriers were visual, glowing menacingly red. “Wouldn’t suggest touchin’ it, either. ‘Less you’d like to get burned.”

_No one in or out… so much for back-up,_ Kara thought as she tried to come up with a plan to get them all out alive. She didn’t want to have to kill this man, even if he was an Evil Warlock it still felt… wrong. Maybe she could reach him?

“Jazz, Jazz. Listen to me…” Kara’s voice was shaky, holding a hand out in front of her as if she was trying to calm down a wild dog, “You know this is wrong, right? You have brothers, sisters? What would your parents think of this? Do you have kids? I know your family loves to have kids…”

Jazz slipped a double-edged knife out of his jacket, not unlike the one that Winn had gotten off of his attacker months ago. “If you know my name, know about my family, then you researched my Coven. You know what we do,” He held his arms up at his sides, shrugging and shaking his head as we spoke, “This business, it’s all in the family.” He dropped his arms and held the knife in front of him. “Kara, was it? That’s what Luthor called you. Well, Kara, I gave you your chance. It’s too bad, really. I don’t like killing without the money pay off.”

Lena’s hand touched Kara’s shoulder, “Kara, please… I can take care of myself.”

Kara didn’t move and the man jumped forward, slicing the knife at her in a sideways motion. She leaned back and dodged the attack, but she pushed Lena back even further, making her trip over a chair behind her, hitting her head on the wall and landing on the chair, leaning up on the wall.

“Oh, shoot, Lena! I’m sorry!” Kara was briefly distracted by Lena going unconscious and Jazz’s hand circled roughly around her arm, grappling her. He pushed her down into the table and held the knife at her throat.

“What powers you got, _witch?_ I hope it’s something good.”

With a burst of strength, she pushed him off of her and into the bar. He grunted but smiled, “Strength, good. Been wanting that. Makes it so much easier to break bones.” He stabbed at her, but Kara moved easily to the side.

“That’s good advice, actually,” she grabbed his forearm with both hands, cracking them easily as he shouted in pain.

“Goddammit!” He spat angrily, a ball of pure energy appearing in his other hand, “I’ve fucking had enough!” He raised his hand, close enough to Kara that he could hit her with it easily without a problem.

Before he threw the ball, however, broken glass poured over his head as a bottle shattered against his head from behind. The ball dissipated and he fell to the ground with a loud thump.

Kara’s eyes met with the bartender’s as she held the other end of the bottle in her hand, staring at Kara with shock. Kara was breathing heavily, “Th-thank you.” She nudged Jazz with her foot to make sure he was out and turned to check on Lena.

“Uh, you’re welcome? But really, if he killed you then I’d for sure be dead… I’m Alice, by the way. Alice Green.”

Kara was listening for Lena’s pulse as the red barrier around them faded. “I’m Kara Danvers. She’s, uh, she’s my friend Lena,” Kara sighed, relieved to hear Lena’s steady heartbeat.

The door to the bar burst open, falling to the ground and revealing a serious-looking Alex with her gun drawn.

“And that would be my sister Alex,” Kara said, “Alex, you can put the gun down. He’s out cold thanks to Alice.”

Alex sighed with relief, holstering her hand gun and waving Winn inside behind her. “The video and sound went out suddenly. We had no idea what was happening inside and I couldn’t get the door down.”

“He used some kind of magic to trap us inside. It must have interrupted the signal,” Kara mused, “We need to get Lena to a hospital, she hit her head on the wall.”

Alex eyed Lena suspiciously, “Right, well. I’m sure they have a med crew back at L-Corp. This isn’t exactly easy to explain and we can’t bring her back to, uh, to base. Winn can take Alice back to your apartment to protect her, while I take Mr. Alms back to headquarters so they can fix him up and then we can question him. You, take Lena back to her office. It’s better if she wakes up there. Have her assistant call their people for help.” Alex reached into one of the pouches on her hip and handed it to Kara, leaning close to her to speak quietly, “This is memory dust. Blow it into the assistant’s face and you should be able to suggest to her that she make the call without remembering ever seeing you.”

Kara lifted Lena up easily, checking the back of her head and feeling relieved where her hand came back dry. At least Lena wasn’t bleeding. “Fine, I’ll run her there, but it doesn’t mean I approve of this. I’d much rather we take her to the hospital.”

Alice had been standing quietly off to the side, her hands crossed defensively as she watched them. “Uh, are you a cop?” She asked Alex carefully.

Alex nodded, reaching her hand out to shake Alice’s which she accepted uncertainly, “Agent Alex Danvers of the FBI. I’m happy we happened to be here to help you out. We’ve been looking to bring this man in for a long time, you should be safe now.”

Alice shook her head, “I’m not safe. Certainly not here anymore. I’ll go with your friend, but… But I need your help.”

Kara smiled at Alice, “And we can offer exactly that.”

“Thank you,” Alice said quietly, looking down at the man and then at Lena in Kara’s arms, “But don’t… don’t trust _her_ , please… LuthorCorp may be after me too.”

Kara felt a swell of disbelief in her gut, Lena didn’t seem the type to order _anyone_ killed. Lena was good, she felt that in her bones. She held on a little tighter.

“We won’t tell Miss Luthor anything you share with us. That’s a promise.” Alex said, giving Kara the side-eye. “Let’s get you out of here, Alice.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to add a bit more humor, is it working? I don't want everything to be all dark, serious, and mysterious. You gotta smile sometimes.  
> idk if anyone has noticed, but each chapter title is a song title. I have a playlist full of songs for this fic, lemme know if ya'll would like me to make a spotify playlist for you to listen to.
> 
> Let me know your theories in the comments or send them to me on twitter on my personal @SeventeenthStar or my fandom account @loveluthor, I'd love to hear from ya'll.
> 
> I hope you find something to smile about today! Make good choices~


	7. Devil In My Veins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanging with Alice, an interrogation, and a lot of Lena

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to go back over the next few chapters tomorrow and add some lyrics to the songs I named the chapters after, so after tomorrow's chapter you can go back and look at those if you like, for now enjoy the addition of lyrics to this one.
> 
> Again, I didn't really read over it to fix any mistakes and I'm sorry but I hope you like it

> _“Lately I've been afraid of myself_ _  
>  _ _The closer that I get to rain_ _  
>  _ _The more I feel at home, the further I'm away_ _  
>  _ _And all that I feel is pain_ _  
>  _ _Count me, count me, call my name_ _  
>  _ _Don't leave me out the chain_ _  
>  _ _Crimson tears falling and my shirt is blood-stained_   
>  And the devil's forever in my veins” - ‘Devil In My Veins’, Yelawolf

 

Lena woke up alone, in one of the basement labs where they studied medicines and the like. Her head hurt, everything felt fuzzy. She could have sworn that she had a dream where she was in Kara’s powerful arms, the wind blowing wildly in her hair as they flew across the city. Were they really flying? No, as far as Lena knew Kara was perfectly human and didn’t know anything about magic. Well, maybe up until now…

The events came back to her, slowly, as she rubbed her head and winced slightly. She’d gone to a bar called The Gryffon, her intel had said that Allison Grey worked there, but before she had a chance to speak to her, in walked Kara with the sun shining in from the open door behind her, illuminating her like an angel. It didn’t take long for things to go south.

There was a man there, likely a Warlock by the look at him, and he got violent… As men are likely to do, he’d used magic in front of the three of them, she remembered the red glow of the barrier faintly. So Kara had seen. But where were the others now? Kara was nowhere around her, but Lena was safe now in her own office building, but she didn’t know what happened with the others. She didn’t know if Kara was okay, or even Allison who she needed information on Morgan Edge from.

Lena groaned and Jess came rushing in, holding a glass of water and rushing to Lena’s side. “Oh, Lena! I’m so glad you’re awake! It seems like you got a mild concussion, I brought you some water!”

Lena moved the water away, “Jess, how did I get here? Did you see Kara?”

Jess tilted her head, “Uhh, I’m pretty sure I found you on the floor in your office. You must have fainted and hit your head on the wall. I don’t know what Miss Danvers has to do with any of this?” She held the water out to Lena again, “You really should have some water.”

_That’s odd. She didn’t see Kara at all?_

Lena sighed, “I don’t need water. Bring me my tonic and I’ll be fine.”

Jess nodded, “I’ll have one of the demons bring it in right away, ma’am.”

 

When Kara entered her apartment she found Winn and Alice sitting rather closely on her couch. His hand was on her shoulder and she swore that her hand was on his knee, but she couldn’t quite tell from where she stood. “I’m here,” she announced herself, shutting her door behind her and locking it. She wasn’t likely to forget to lock it again.

“Kara, I’m glad you’re here. Alice has quite a story to tell,” Winn said, standing up immediately and taking a small step backward, away from the couch.

Kara crossed the room and sat on the coffee table so she could face Alice where she sat. “Of course, and we’re here to help however we can. Fill me in?”

Alice shifted uncomfortably where she sat, “To start out, uh, I don’t actually know who I am or how this started.”

“So your name isn’t Alice?”

She shrugged, “I don’t know. I picked the name Alice Green because it just felt… familiar somehow? I’ve stuck with it the last eight months since I escaped.”

Kara nodded, “Escaped from where?”

Alice bit her lip, “I don’t… usually trust people this easily, Kara. This isn’t a story I’ve told to more than maybe two people, and apparently telling one of them let to an assassin crashing my work,” she paused, “Oh no, my boss is going to be _so_ pissed.”

“Alex should be able to take care of your boss to make sure you don’t lose your job.”

Alice shook her head solemnly, “I… I can’t go back there. It’s not safe anymore if he was able to find me, let alone if Lena _Luthor_ was able to find me for whatever reason.”

“You don’t know that Lena is involved in any of this,” Kara said softly, “she could have just been in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“People like her don’t visit The Gryffon, Kara. It’s why I work there. It’s honestly more of a place for outcasts, people that don’t belong in those circles. Sometimes thieves, other criminals, they don’t cause us any trouble but we have had to break up a few fights in the alley behind the bar.”

Kara was holding tightly onto her knees, her knuckles turning white, “All I’m saying is that she’s innocent until proven guilty. That man wanted to kill Lena too, not just you. I think that’s important to consider. But, why don’t you tell me why he was after you?”

The girl sighed, running a shaky hand through her red hair, “It began… slowly. Day by day I began to recognize that I didn’t belong where I was. My mind was… it was taken from me, is the best way I can say it. Early in the day was combat practice, we were taught the best ways to kill, to maim. After that, an hour or so of shooting practice… Then the rest of the day was labor. Putting together machines and the like. A lot of the equipment we used has the LuthorCorp name and logo on it…”

Kara blinked, “Where… where was this?”

“Edge Global,” Alice responded, “Over time I became more… aware of myself. I had flashes of memories, nothing concrete but it told me enough to know that I needed to get out of there.”

“How did escape?” Winn asked from behind Kara.

“I… I walked out. I got out of my bed one night and just walked out. It’s like no one expected us to leave.”

The room was quiet except for the sound of Winn’s shoes hitting the floor as he walked back and forth, one hand on his chin and the other under his elbow. Kara had to take a moment to take in everything Alice had told her. So much of her story of what happened inside Edge Global was… vague. That was likely due to whatever they did to her head, that it seems wore off over time before she knew to leave.

After awhile, Kara asked what she did after she escaped and Alice told her that she spent three weeks living off the street, eating scraps from garbages and asking random people for any kind of help. She lucked out, making friends with a woman who had a certain talent for helping people find fake documents.

“Birth certificate, driver’s license with my age set at twenty one, even a social security number. She gave me a shower and some clothes, let me stay with her a few weeks while I got a job. I moved into the basement of the bar after that, my boss seemed to like that someone was always there, just in case someone broke in. It isn’t a great neighborhood.”

“How’d you meet this woman?” Kara asked curiously.

“I just… bumped into her in the street. I apologized and turned to walk away, but she grabbed my arm and told me she could help me. I don’t know she knew she just… did,” Alice shrugged, “I never asked, and I haven’t seen her since. I went back to visit once and there was someone else living at the apartment, said it had been their place for years. It was… odd.”

Winn paused, “She was most likely squatting while the actual owner was out of town or something. That happens sometimes.”

“I… hadn’t thought of that. You’re probably right. She was an interesting soul,” Kara shrugged and then smiled, “I was lucky to have ran into her.”

“What was her name?” Kara asked.

“Oh, Nia. She never gave me her last name.”

_Why does that name sound so familiar,_ Kara thought as she stood up. “The couch is a pull-out bed. You can stay here for as long as you need. We’ll figure this out, I’m sure Alex can help us.”

 

“Edge Global is off limits,” Alex said to Kara as they walked through the halls of the DSO, “Apparently the company helps fund us. We can’t do anything to damage that, or the DSO might not be able to recover.”

“What!” Kara’s face was turning red, “They are keeping mindless slaves at one of their corporate offices! Actual human _slaves_ , Alex! If you won’t help, I’ll deal with it myself.”

Alex stopped in front of a door, turning to Kara with one swift motion, “It’s out of my hands, and It’s too big for you to take on alone. If Edge really has, how many slaves was it?”

“Alice said there were at least a hundred.”

“Right, if Edge really has _a hundred_ mindless slaves being trained in combat as well as shooting with a range of weapons, that means he has a whole fucking _army_ , Kara. What can you do against an army alone?”

Kara was silent.

“I think I made my point,” Alex said, “Are you ready?”

Kara nodded and Alex swiped a card in front of a thing next to the door and then pushing the door open. She walked in and held the door open for Kara to follow in after her. “Remember that all the interrogation rooms are Enchanted. No magic can be used in here. His or yours.”

In the room, handcuffed to a steel table was Jazz Alms. He was still wearing his clothes, but his signature hood was nowhere to be found. Instead, he was wearing a black v-neck tee and his blue jeans, black boots on his feet.

Kara sat across from him, trying not to reveal any emotions she was currently having. She felt angry, defensive, worried (mostly about Lena), but also she was afraid. This man knew much more than her, about the world that Kara had only just returned to. He spent his whole life learning magic, using magic. He had a family, a coven, a big one. All things Kara didn’t have.

Alex shut the door and leaned back on the grey wall behind her, “Hello, Mr. Alms.”

Jazz smiled, sat back, “Hey there, Agent. You couldn’t get anything out of me so you thought you’d bring in Little Miss Sunshine here?” He waved his hands, palms open, the chains clinking, “Oooh! I’m terrified! Please don’t sic your puppy on me!”

Kara’s expression didn’t change as she stared him down, her arms crossed in front of her. “Who hired you?”

Jazz sighed, leaning back in his seat, “Depends on which job you’re askin’ about, Miss Kara.”

“Alright, who hired you to kill Lena?”

Jazz shrugged, “I dunno that one. Was hired through a third party. A forth party, really. A guy through another guy through another guy who came to me with the offer. I don’t always know who I’m workin’ for, all I need is a deposit and a name.”

Kara took a deep breath, “Okay, do you know why they wanted Lena killed.”

Jazz shrugged, “Likely pissed someone off with that temper of hers. I’ve heard the stories. With the stress of takin’ over the company I’m sure it’s only gotten worse. Someone probably had enough of her. I was glad to help put the rabid bitch down,” he laughed.

Kara’s hand raised up, a fist slamming onto the table, making a rather sizable dent. The noise echoed through the room and Jazz tried to move back, surprised. “Ah, what the fuck?” He looked at Alex, his eyes wide, “I thought you said that magic didn’t work in here!”

Alex looked just as surprised as he did.

“You cannot speak of Lena that way,” Kara said in a deep voice, something like fire in her eyes as she stared him down. _No one talks about my friends that way._

Alex cleared her throat and reached out to grab Kara’s shoulder, “Kara, maybe we should-”

“Who hired you to kill Alice?” Kara spat out angrily.

“Ah…” He responded.

Kara slammed the table a second time, deepening the dent that was already there and making the table move about, now unable to fully keep its balance.

“Tell me!”

“ _Shitfuck!_ Alright, alright I’ll tell you!” His eyes were bursting with shock and fear as he took a deep breath, probably trying to calm down, “It was someone at Edge Global! They said that the girl-Her name is actually Allison, by the way-they said that she knew too much about a project they was workin’ on and if shit got out then the company would most likely be shut down. Thousands of people would lose their jobs, man! I considered it community service.”

Kara calmly took her hand off the table, “Thank you. Now, tell me who hired you to kill Lena.”

“I already told you!”

Kara slowly walked around the table, “See your arm’s in a cast now. Maybe it’d look better if you had one for each arm, huh?”

His eyes widened, “Wow, you are one crazy bitch, ain’t ya?”

“I know you know. Even if you worked through someone else, I know you must’ve figured out who it was who hired you.”

He sighed, “You’re right, I… It was Luthor who hired me. Lex Luthor. Never spoke to him myself, tho.”

“Thank you,” Kara replied with a smile and Jazz gave her a confused look.

“Alex, we need to talk.”

 

They called one of the Agents in to take Jazz back to his cell and found a small break room to sit and talk in. Kara had poured herself a coffee, sitting back on the couch and sipping it, Alex sat on the other blue couch cornered to her.

“Kara, what was that? I’ve never seen you act like that before,”

Kara placed her mug on the table, “I don’t think I’ve ever been that angry before.”

“How… how did you use your magic in there? We’ve never had that happen.”

` Kara was staring at her mug, “I… I don’t know. I felt a surge of power come through me and run straight through to my hand. I hadn’t expected it either. It just sort of… Happened.”

Alex sighed, resting her arm on the arm rest and holding up the side of her head. “This has been so much to take in in such a short time, but it seems you have your first innocent to save.”

“Innocent. You mean, I’ve been chosen to save her from evil? Like, other good witches?”

Alex shrugged, “All good witches have this saying it’s ‘everything happens for a reason’ they believe that some kind of higher power guides good witches and those in need, Innocents, together. Although, you can’t always save every innocent. I tend to think this is true, but all my Innocents come to me via the missions the DSO gives me, it’s helped keep my personal life danger-free, though. Until now.” She eyed Kara who gave her an apologetic look.

“Alex, you know what Edge is doing is wrong.”

“Yes, I do.”

“Is there any way you can convince Hank to help me?”

Alex sighed, “Hank may be the Director, but there are certain things that are even out of his control. I will try, though. He’s a good man, and he’ll listen, but it doesn’t mean it will make any difference.”

Kara picked up her mug, relishing in the head she could feel through the ceramic. She took another drink. “Alex, he said Lex Luthor hired him to kill Lena. Why would her own brother be trying to kill her?”

“I don’t know… You’re friends with Lena, right? Maybe you could try asking her?”

“She doesn’t really… talk about her family,” Kara said, “I think it’s kind of a sore subject.”

“I’ll talk to Hank, you talk to Lena. We’ve got two problems here, we can do our best to work this out together.”

“Thanks, Alex,” Kara said quietly, staring into her cup, “Thank you for allowing me to accept who I am, and for standing by me.”

Alex laughed lightly, “It’s the least I can do. You did the same with me when I came out as gay, and not to mention that we’re both witches. It was wrong of me to hold you back, I just didn’t want you to get hurt. I know how dangerous it is first hand.”

“What if I can’t save them, Alex? Alice and Lena, what if I can’t help them?”

Alex placed her hand on Kara’s knee to comfort her, “Kara, you are so _so_ good and if anyone can save them both, it’s you. I have every faith in you. You’ve always been there for me, I’d say you even saved me after my break up with Maggie.”

“You’re right. Pretty sure helping you move on was the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” Kara said teasingly and Alex pushed her jokingly.

“Okay! I take it back, then!” Alex laughed.

 

Lena felt a million times better. She stood in her office, sun shining through the windows as she watched the city with a smile. _I’ll make all of this mine,_ she thought, then frowned. _What? No… That’s not… That’s not right._

“Lena, have you checked the Jasmine files? Mr. Johnson called and said that he’d like to look over them ASAP.” Came Jess’s voice from the intercom sitting on her desk. Lena’s frown turned into a grimace. Jasmine was her and Jess’s code word.

Lena turned on her heel, rushing to one of the big black drawers next to her desk and took out as many file folders as she could, throwing them on her desk and then pressing the button to respond the O.K. message back to Jess. “Yes, I’m working on them now. Please inform Mr. Johnson that I’ll send them to him by the end of the work day.”

She grabbed the papers she’d actually been working on and shoved them into the drawer on her desk and sitting down in her chair. “Yes, Miss Luthor. Also, your mother has just arrived. She wishes to speak with you. I’ll send her right in.”

The code messages were a way for Jess to warn her that her mother has just walked in, to give her time to prepare for The Beast by hiding things she didn’t want her to see, and to appear as though she were too busy for a long visit with her. She spread out the stack of files, and opened one in the middle, looking down at it with a studious expression.

“Lena, darling,” came her mother’s voice as she entered the door and approached her desk, “It’s so good to see you, it’s been too long.”

Lena glanced up at her, “Lillian. Welcome. What do you need?”

Lillian gave Lena a stern look, “What makes you think I need something? A mother can’t visit her daughter at work?”

“Sure, most mother’s could and it’d be perfectly normal. _You_ , on the other hand, only come to the office in person when you want something and you don’t think you’ll get it with a call or an e-mail. So, I shall ask you again; what do you need?”

Lillian sat in the chair in front of Lena’s desk, “You really should get better visitor chairs in here, Lena. What message do these uncomfortable eye sores send to your business partners?”

Lena sighed, “Mother, please.”

Lillian had a tight-lipped smile, her eyes bright as she took Lena in, “I’m glad to see you’ve decided to start taking your tonic again, I was worried.”

Lena raised an eyebrow at Lillian, “Ah, I see one of your little demons informed you.”

“Lena, we’re all demons here. It’s how this whole empire was built.”

“Not all of us are demons,” Lena said quietly, staring down at her hand.

“Not full demon, no, and I suppose there are a few witches you’ve hired around here? And the little worker bees, of course, the humans. But they hardly count.”

Lena closed her fist, watching her knuckles turn white. She held on tighter.

“You made the cover of CatCo,” Lillian said, and this made Lena lift her eyes to meet hers, “Seems you really managed to enamour the reporter they brought here,” she laughed, “Lex was never great at that one, always came off as too cold, poor boy is just too awkward when it comes to interviews. You know how amazing he is in the boardroom. I believe that’s what _you_ lack, Lena.”

Lena grimaced at the mention of Lex, “Are you here to talk about the article, or to brag about your son to bring me down?”

Lillian’s eyes turned dark as she regarded Lena seriously, “Listen to me, the reason I’m here is because things have gone to chaos in the underworld since your brother into hiding. Everyone is grasping for power, every two-bit demon thinks they’re worthy to be the next one in charge.”

“And what can I do about that?”

Lillian stood, approaching the desk and looking down at Lena. It made her feel small, her mother had always been good at that. She turned her head to look away from her, to look anywhere else than at her mother. “You know exactly what you can do, you’re my daughter. Lionel’s daughter. A Luthor. One word from you and all the rats will shut their mouths, leaving things in their proper order until Lex can return.”

Lena sighed, “All my life, you’ve reminded me that I’m not really a Luthor. How _kind_ of you it was to take in an orphan, as if it was good for a four year old to be raised in a family of _fucking_ demons. You’re not my mother. You’ve done your best to drill that into my mind.”

“Now, Lena. I _am_ your mother. I may not have birthed you, but _I_ raised you after your mother was vanquished by a good witch. She was weak, I made you _strong_ , I loved you and we gave you a family, a home. Although it seems you’re ungrateful for everything I’ve done for you.”

“That changes nothing.”

“Perhaps not, but Luthor blood _does_ run through your veins and I think you know it. I’m sure you can feel the power. I may not be your mother, but Lionel _was_ your father, as much as I’d hate to admit that. As much as I felt disgusted having you around, being reminded daily of his affair.”

Lena stood suddenly, “What did you say?”

“I said that Lionel is your biological father. That would be the reason we took you in, you think we’d be willing to take in just any orphan, magical or not?”

Lena felt dizzy, she had to place a hand on her desk to steady herself. “Get out.”

“Excuse me?”

Lena’s eyes turned a bright gold, and she slammed a hand on her desk, raising her other hand where a fireball appeared. She tossed it at her mother, but it went right past her head and hit into the wall. Lillian didn’t even flinch, instead a huge smile appeared on her face. “Now that’s my girl.”

“I said get out. That was a warning. Next time I won’t miss,” Lena growled.

“Yes, yes. I’m leaving,” Lillian grabbed her purse from off the chair and waved at Lena as she walked out the door, “Don’t forget to drink your tonic, dear.” Lena could hear her laugh in the other room.

She slid down into her office chair, slowly, her eyes returning to their usual green as she breathed carefully, steadily. She wanted to tear herself apart, let her blood spill onto the floor so it was no longer running through her, she wanted to throw herself off the balcony, but she didn’t know if that would be enough to kill her. If her mother was telling the truth, Lena could never fight it.

Her chest felt tight as the hint of a headache peeked into her head. “Miss Luthor,” Jess’s voice came through the intercom, Lena felt the strong urge to smash it, to burn the whole building down and listen to the pleasant screams of everyone inside it as they burned. “The lab techs are here, it’s time for your tonic…” Lena blinked, shaking her head lightly. The next bit was said more quietly, “I can always send them away if-”

“Send them in,” Lena replied then removed her hand from the call button and said quietly to herself, staring at the scorch mark she’d just left on the wall, “I think I could really use it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uh oh


	8. Make Me A Monster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> oh hey look more faves and also maybe someone asking someone on a date kinda?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said I would post this yesterday... And I didn't... But it was me and my girlfriend's 1 year anniversary so I'd say I deserve a pass
> 
> Lyrics have been added to the beginning of each chapter. They're all songs that I listen to while writing this fic, that sort of inspire some of the stuff and idk I feel like they set the tone well. I hope ya'll like them and don't hate me for doing something so stereotypical of fic-writing :P
> 
> Didn't read over this. Sure it's got loads of mistakes and I'd feel more sorry, but it DOES mean that I can churn these out almost every day. Maybe once the fic is finished I'll go through and finally edit idk.

> _ “Now I’m feeling like a monster _ __  
>  _ And I feel I’m getting stronger _ __  
>  _ Now I’m feeling like a monster _ __  
>  _ Monster _ __  
>  _ Just stay a little longer _ __  
>  _ So you can show me how to move _ _  
>  _ _ And take it further _ _  
>  _ __ Make me into someone like you” - ‘Monster’, Colours

Kara felt like she was being torn in a million different directions. She hadn’t talked to Lena since the incident at the bar and it’d been a full week. Not a single text. Kara was nervous over this, but unsure of how to reach out to Lena. How much did she remember? How much did she  _ see? _ How do you even start a conversation after something like what happened to them; after Kara took her to her office and left without a word to her. She did make sure that Jess took care of Lena, but that didn’t do anything for the guilt of abandoning her. But what could Kara say? How do you explain what happened? What was her excuse for how she got all of them out of there?

Alex had made it  _ very clear _ that Kara shouldn’t tell  _ anyone _ about her magic. They’d lucked out with Winn, he was understanding and only wanted to help and it never even occurred to him to out them. But Lena? Would she want to run tests on Kara? Would she even trust Kara after that? Some people would fear witches simply for the power they hold, that it would be so easy to harm those around them… although, some do. But it was Kara’s job now to protect those people.

Job. Right.

Kara was sitting at her desk at CatCo, staring blankly at her screen. She’d been sitting there for maybe forty-five minutes now, overthinking everything. Wanting to talk to Lena, not knowing how. Wanting to help Alice, but having no idea of where to start without getting herself killed.

James knocked on her desk, startling Kara who pushed against her desk, wheeling backwards until James stopped her with a smile. “Kara, sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I, uh, said your name a few times and you didn’t respond.” He scratched the back of his neck, obviously a little bit embarrassed, “I also didn’t want to, like, touch you. Consent and all that.”

“Hey it’s cool, James. I loved to be touched.”

There was a long moment where what she said sunk in, but before Kara could explain what she really meant James cleared his throat, “Anyway, there’s a reason I came over here and bothered to frighten you,” he smiled, “I have the new rookie here for you to train. We talked about her a few weeks ago, remember?”

Kara’s eyebrows lifted as she vaguely remembered a conversation with James about something like this. Mostly, she remembered his smile and his easy-going nature. She could sometimes get distracted by James, maybe she did have a crush but Kara didn’t like dating people she worked with. She’d done it once before and it made it impossible to work after they’d broken it off… Coffee shop drama.

“I, uh, yeah. I’ve had a lot going on lately. I sort of completely spaced it.”

“Maybe we should get your head checked,” he joked with a wink, “It’s fine. The only reason you have to be the one to train her is because you’re the newest one here. She’ll have to train whoever comes next. She’s waiting by the elevator, let me introduce you two.”

Kara followed him to where a girl stood nervously in front of the elevators, her eyes darting about as she took everyone and everything in. She was cute, had a trendy sense of style and long, dark hair. When James welcomed her, her smile made Kara want to smile as well.  _ She’s infectious, in a good way,  _ Kara thought as James moved to introduce her.

“This is my good friend Kara Danvers, she’ll be showing you the ropes here.”

The girl’s eyes grew and she took a step back, her breath hitching. “You’re…  _ you’re _ Kara Danvers?”

“Uh, yeah?” Kara shrugged and reached her hand out to shake the newcomer’s, “You’ve heard of me?”

The girl seemed to settle down a bit, but Kara could still her heart going very fast. Was that excitement or… fear? The new girl stared at Kara’s hand for almost a too-long moment, before she took it into hers and shook it very firmly, looking into Kara’s eyes in a way that made Kara feel like the girl was trying to read her thoughts or something.

“Oh, ha. I read a lot of CatCo articles to prepare for my interview, and to gauge what sort of pieces I would be writing. Yours were some of my favorites,” she explained, “I’m Nia, by the way. Nia Nal.”

_ Nia? Huh. Sounds familiar. _

 

Kara spent the day showing Nia around, which was actually very fun. Kara saw a lot of herself in Nia, and that made her feel sort of a need to make sure she succeeded in CatCo. Nia was funny, clever, and was more than well-informed. It almost felt like she knew exactly where Kara was going to take her next, and could very easily finish Kara’s sentences although they’d only met that morning. 

They ended up taking a late lunch together, after James found them wandering the photo department with wide eyes. (Kara didn’t go to the photo department of CatCo often, but all the editing software and cameras were cool. Sometimes you could watch them set up the studio for a cover-shoot or something, but most photoshoots happened on another floor.) Kara was surprised that she’d forgotten to eat, but she had honestly been having too much fun with Nia. When James found them looking over a poor photographers shoulders as he edited something in PhotoShop and asked them if they’d eaten, Kara’s stomach seemed to growl in response. That led to a round of laughter and Kara embarrassingly rushing out of the room.

They stood near the door to the balcony as Kara mused about where she should go to grab food when James approached, waving her and Nia down. “Guess what,” he said with a coy smile, but he was holding a box in his hands with white paper bags visible out of the top. “I already ordered food for the three of us.”

Kara jumped, “What is it!”

Nia laughed, “James, you really didn’t have to do that.” 

Kara had moved next to James, investigating what he was holding with apt attention and he laughed. “It’s to celebrate your first day, Nia. And Sorry, Kara. No potstickers today, but I did get us burgers from that place you like.”

Kara fist pumped, “Good enough!” She rushed to the balcony door and held it open for James and Nia to walk through, they found a table easily and James passed out the food.

“So, Nia, what did you do before coming here?” Kara asked conversationally, sticking a fry into her mouth with a wide smile.

“I, uh. I was an intern. I did all sorts of jobs, just wherever the agency thought I was needed. It was, well, interesting. I was never in one place for long enough to really make any friends or anything, so I’m very excited to be here at CatCo for the long run. Especially because my new coworkers seem pretty cool.”

“And sometimes they give you food,” Kara said with a full mouth and James shook his head with a smile.

“We’re happy to have you, Nia. I hope you don’t get too sick of us, or really, I hope you don’t get sick of Kara.”

“Hey!” Kara said between bites, shoving James on the arm as he laughed and Nia shook her head, obviously amused, “Okay but,” Kara swallowed another fry, “I like to do these game nights with my friends. You should come! James has been to more than a few.”

“I have,” James replied, his face growing serious, “And I still have nightmares about playing Monopoly with your sister.”

Kara laughed loudly, unable to control herself. She remembered exactly the night James was referring too. Winn, for some reason, had gotten it into his head that he wanted to have a “Classic” game night so he brought games like Monopoly, Life, Clue, and even Chutes and Ladders. What they thought would be a classic game night, turned into one long game of Monopoly that ended with Winn and Alex at each other’s throats. Kara had been the first out, followed by James after a long while, until it was just Alex and Winn doing harsh bargaining over different places on the board until eventually Alex won. Monopoly just made Alex very scary, she took it far too seriously and somehow was able to convince James to give her Park Place for next to nothing. “It’s not always that bad!”

James smiled, “No, it’s not. I just thought it was worth bringing up.”

“I think I’d like that,” Nia said before taking a big bite of her hamburger and making a sound of approval over the taste.

“Thursday!” Kara said excitedly, “This Thursday is our next game night, at my place. I don’t live too far from here.”

Nia gave both James and Kara her phone number and Kara immediately sent her a text with a smiley face, followed by a text with her address. 

 

Lena’s day was going surprisingly well. She hadn’t heard from her mother from her little pop-in days ago, but it felt like since then things were simply just… easier. She felt stronger, more on her game when it came to making deals and talking down the board. She could feel herself walking everywhere she went with confidence, and she had an incredible amount of energy, she’d only needed three hours of sleep every night.

She sometimes found herself wondering if it had something to do with the tonic, if maybe some changes had been made to it, unknown to her, but then she shrugged it away and would continue on. 

She did realize, however, that shortly before the time of day they would bring her tonic that the headaches were just on the horizon, she would get moody, was more likely to lash out, and… it also made her second guess  _ everything.  _ She didn’t like the way it felt, as though someone else was in her head, asking her if all of this was really what she wanted, making her wonder about everything she’d done over the past twenty-four hours. Was it the right thing to do? Was it going to end up getting anyone hurt in some way? She also found that she would start to feel sick in her own skin, or more like she wanted every drop of her blood out of her system.

Today, though, other than the short time before her tonic, was going on without a hitch. 

That was, until, an actual ray of sunshine entered her office and she felt like Icarus, melting.

She didn’t know what it was about Kara that just made everything else dull in comparison. She struggled keeping her eyes off her, and she found herself pulled into Kara Danver’s orbit, not able-or willing-to escape. 

“Lena!” Kara said, swinging her office door open, “What are you still doing here! It’s like fifteen minutes past eight!”

She looked up, surprised to see Kara. She hadn’t heard from her in days, and Lena had begun to wonder what  _ really _ happened in that bar, but when she went back to check it out it had been closed for reservations.

Still, she couldn’t stop herself from smiling, standing up, and circling her desk so she could allow herself to be engulfed in one of Kara’s warm hugs. “Kara! It’s such a surprise to see you! I’ve been worried.”

Kara pulled away, her hands still holding onto Lena’s arms as she offered her a warm smile, “Nothing to worry about, Lena. Everything’s hunky-dory! Just been busy!”

_ So… are we really not going to talk about what happened? _

“I’ve been swamped as well, I understand what it’s like. What brings you here today?”

 

_ I missed you, _ was the first thing Kara thought when Lena asked why she was visiting, and while that may have been true she still had another reason for dropping in on the CEO.

“I nearly forgot why, honestly. I was just so excited to see you!” Kara said and Lena raised an attractive eyebrow as she leaned back against her desk, folding her arms.

“Good to know that I have that effect on you,” Lena’s smile made Kara’s stomach jump and she had to laugh away the moment.

“Well, um. It’s been awhile and I thought maybe you could help me out with an article?”

Lena seemed to tense up, “Another interview?” she asked.

“Not quite,” Kara replied, “And I promise to make more of an effort to see you, Lena. I consider you a friend, not just a source or something. I do really enjoy your company. This just… gives me an excuse to be here,” she shrugged.

Lena relaxed somewhat, “So, what is it you need from me?”

“Edge Global, you work with them, right?” Kara asked carefully.

Lena glanced at the door, making sure it was shut behind them. “Morgan Edge owns a large enough stake in L-Corp that he is on the board. I’ve never been a fan, however. He got along quite well with Lex.”

Kara nodded, “I’m doing an investigation into their research department at the building they have here in town. I got a tip that things going on there may not be entirely legal.”

Lena tilted her head, examining Kara as though she was a puzzle that she couldn’t quite understand. Maybe she was just surprised to hear this about Edge Global? “A tip?”

Kara bit her lip, “Uh, yeah. Anonymous, but it seemed honest, like this person really knew something.”

Lena’s eyes bore through Kara and she began to feel uncomfortable. Lena seemed different this time, not quite as open as she had been with Kara in the restaurant or over text. But, somehow she emanated power. The way she was standing, the gold glint in her eye as she looked down at Kara with an unreadable expression, her arms crossed but still leaning against her desk with such an ease that it made Kara’s heartbeat a little faster. She was also… warmer? Almost felt feverish when Kara had hugged her.

“How’d you get this tip? Through CatCo?” Lena asked as Kara shifted nervously where she stood.

Kara shrugged, “I’m not really here to talk about that, I just… I was wondering if you knew anything about Edge that could help me? If there are people in danger, I want to help.”

“You’re really too good for this world, Kara Danvers,” Lena said, shaking her head and moving back to the far side of her desk, “Honestly, Kara. I  _ am _ trying to get him off the board. The man generally disgusts me, and openly stares at me as though I’m nothing more than a piece of meat for him to devour. Destroying him would make me happier than you could ever know.”

Kara’s eyebrows scrunched together as she tried to process everything Lena had said,  _ how _ she said it. Almost as if she really meant  _ destroying _ the man rather than just getting him off the board, or sending him to prison or something. It felt… deeper than that, somehow. 

“But I’m afraid I can’t help you,” Lena said, sitting easily back into her office chair, crossing her legs in a way that distracted Kara from her thoughts. White thighs were visible as her tight black dress rose slightly, her stiletto’s making Kara feel something she couldn’t quite name.

“Kara?” Lena asked with a sly smile and Kara jumped slightly.

_ Oh. Oh no, I think I let too much time pass before responding.  _ “Oh, uh, yeah. I’m sorry, I was just… thinking… you know? It’s the Edge Global thing it just… seems really serious.”

Lena tapped her fingers on her desk, not taking searching eyes off of Kara. “It might not be worth your time, Kara. There may be nothing there. I’ve certainly looked.”

Kara bit her lip, tearing her eyes off of Lena and staring at the ground.

“Mhm, Kara?”

Kara looked back up at Lena who was now leaning forward, her elbows on her desk and her hands under her chin. Kara could have  _ sworn _ that Lena was blatantly checking Kara out, her eyes slowly taking her in from the bottom to the top and  _ oh rao,  _ with the way she was leaning forward Kara could see far down the center of her cleavage.  _ Is that dress really appropriate work attire? By the Gods… _

_ “Kara,” _ Lena said again, pulling Kara from her inappropriate thoughts and forcing her to look at Lena’s face, who had a knowing smile that made her stomach flip again, “Let’s do dinner sometime soon. Say, Friday?”

Kara could say nothing, she only nodded.

Lena grinned, standing up and moving to stand in front of Kara, “Perfect. Text me your address, I’ll pick you up at seven. Wear something…” Her eyes wandered Kara’s frame, “Sexy. I need to know if you have more than these cardigans and floral blouses,” She said teasingly, her hand reaching up to grasp Kara’s bicep, “These  _ arms _ , Kara. You really should be showing them off.”

Kara blinked, laughed awkwardly and adjusted her glasses, “I’ll, uh… I’ll see what I have.”

Lena’s hand moved up to Kara’s cheek, which she caressed almost possessively. Kara couldn’t help the shiver that ran through her body.  _ Is Lena… Is Lena really coming onto me?  _

Lena blinked suddenly, almost as if she’d recognized herself and she pulled her hand away, clearing her throat. “I’m only joking, Kara. Wear whatever you’re comfortable with. Even some footy pajamas that I’m sure you own,” her laugh was light, but she seemed to be refusing to look at Kara and there was a blush on her cheeks. “I have so much work to get done, Kara. If I want to be out of here before midnight I should really…”

Kara smiled, throwing her hands up in front of her, “I get it. I’ll get out of your hair.” Kara pulled Lena into a quick hug, but it was almost like hugging a cardboard stand up. Lena was stiff and didn’t really return the hug. It was odd, this whole visit was odd. Kara headed to the door, turning around, “I’ll see you on Friday, Lena!” She waved and exited the office.

 

Lena sat in silence for several minutes, going over Kara’s visit over and over again in her head. It was as though something clicked in Lena early on in their conversation, like she’d suddenly realized that Kara was something she wanted, and that made Kara  _ hers. _ It wasn’t until she realized how uncomfortable Kara looked that she realized how  _ wrong  _ that was. She covered her face with her hands, embarrassed over how forward she’d been, but also disgusted with the way she’d been thinking.

It was surprisingly easy to push aside, however. Forgotten about entirely in favor of a daydream of Edge on fire as she circled around him, taking in the beautiful scent of flesh burning and the symphony of screams, and the powerful feeling of victory. She was  _ really _ going to enjoy bringing that demon to his knees, making him beg for mercy. 

Mercy that she was finding harder and harder to give.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shit's gay  
> Lena is hot. I said it.
> 
> NIA NAL! So excited to have her in this fic omg.
> 
> Yell at me on Twitter on my personal @SeventeenthStar or my fandom account @LoveLuthor or comment here because I like attention and it's super motivating.
> 
> Be kind to one another! Don't forget to make good choices~


	9. Angels Will Call On Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Game night, a fight, stuff is revealed, Lena considers her life and her choices (same tbh)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, hi, yooo. I hope you like this chapter. I was gonna do it in two parts but really it just flows better as one.

> _"Danger will follow me_   
>  _Everywhere I go_   
>  _Angels will call on me_   
>  _And take me to my home_   
>  _Well this tired mind just wants to be led home_
> 
> _And I'll fall on my knees_   
>  _Tell me how's the way to go_   
>  _Tell me how's the way to see_   
>  _Show me all that I could be_
> 
> _And I'll fall on my knees_   
>  _Tell me how's the way to be_   
>  _Tell me how's the way to go_   
>  _Tell me why I feel so low_
> 
> _Danger will follow me_   
>  _Everywhere I go_   
>  _Angels will call on me_   
>  _And take me to my home_   
>  _Well these tired eyes just want to remain closed" - 'Everywhere I Go', Lissie_

Thursday came quickly, Kara’s week was busy and full of work. She and Winn were working with Alice, trying their best to bring back any memories from before she was enslaved as well as trying to put together a map of where she was kept. They needed a plan of how to get in and get everyone else out, which Alice was very adamant about. She didn’t care about taking Edge Global down, she only wanted to see all the other’s freed. On top of this, Kara was busy at CatCo. There’d been a jump in mysterious disappearances and murders. Kara was lucky to not have to visit any of the crime scenes yet, but she’d heard stories. The other journalist’s took charge of those, and she was left with everything else they were usually writing to pick up the slack. Nia had been very helpful, she was amazing at helping Kara to manage her time and somehow knew exactly when she should take breaks so she would not burn out. 

Kara may have been tired from all the hard work, but Lena was sending her messages again and had even started to send her pictures of cute puppies at random, obviously having figured out this weakness of Kara’s after Kara had sent her a puppy video she found and had maybe been too excited over it, even text. Throughout the day, Kara could open her phone and find either a message from Lena, or a puppy photo that would usually pull an excited giggle out of her.

Kara left CatCo early on Thursday so she could get home and pick up a bit before her friends arrived. Alex was always first with a case of beer in hand, she left the beer in Kara’s fridge and sat next to Alice, assuring her that she had no reason to be worried about meeting Kara’s friends. Alice had been sleeping on Kara’s couch since the assassination attempt, they’d figured she’d be safer with Kara than anywhere else she had to go and Alice hadn’t complained. She was an amazing house guest, often spent her time alone in the apartment cleaning or baking (she was an amazing chef, Kara was thrilled to discover) and watching TV. Surprisingly, this had been the most help with her memory, as she began to remember cooking classes she took in college. It was small things she remembered, but it seemed to make her feel more at ease.

Winn showed up next, a big smile on his face as he held up five board games with a bouquet of colorful flowers laying on top. “I brought them for Alice,” he said when Kara gave him a confused look, “I thought she could use the pick-me-up. Can’t be easy, what she’s going through.”  _ Right,  _ Kara thought with a smile when Winn made a b-line straight for Alice, nearly throwing the board games to the side and presenting her with the flowers with a tight smile,  _ I’m sure there isn’t any romantic intentions there at all,  _ she laughed and there was another knock at the door. Kara swung it open to reveal James with-

“Pizza and potstickers,” James said with a genuine smile, placing the boxes on the counter and pulling Kara in for one of his award-winning hugs, “I know it’s your favorite.”

Kara thanked him, but before she could say anything else Alice was standing beside her, staring up at him with awe. “It-It’s you. I-I know you! You were there, you told me-”

James laughed awkwardly, taking a step back, “I’m afraid you might have the wrong guy, miss, uh--?”

“Alice…” Kara cut in, placing a gentle hand on Alice’s shoulder, “This is Alice, my, uh, she’s our cousin. Me and Alex’s cousin. She’s staying here for a little while. Alice, this is my friend and coworker James.”

Alice tilted her head, “Oh, I’m… I’m sorry. I just thought…” 

“It’s okay, Alice. Happens sometimes, y’know?” James smiled and Alice sighed, her shoulders dropping, “I think I must have one of those faces.”

Alice nodded and there was another knock at the door. 

“Oh, that must be Nia!” Kara exclaimed, moving past James to open the door.

Alice’s eyes widened, “Nia?”

The door opened, revealing Nia on the other side with a nervous smile and two bottles of wine; one for each hand. 

“Oh my God, Nia!” Alice dove past the others and gave Nia a huge hug, “Oh, I missed you! I thought I wouldn’t get to see you again, it’s so crazy that you’re here now!”

Nia was surprised into silence and James took the bottles from her and led her inside, helping her with her coat. Alice was bombarding Nia with questions like where she disappeared to, why she never reached out to her, how she was doing.

“Alice, Alice! Slow down!” Kara said, feeling a little behind.

“I’m sorry, it’s just…  _ This _ is Nia! She practically saved my life. Remember, I told you about her the night we met…”

Kara’s jaw dropped while recognition fell on her like rain; bit by bit as she remembered Alice’s story. That must have been why Nia’s name sounded so familiar to her.

“Oh, um, huh! It’s good to see you, Alice. I’m happy to see you’re doing good. I’m sorry I haven’t come to see you at work or anything, I’ve just… been busy.”

“She just got a job at CatCo.,” James explained, “This was her first week, but even the preparation before your first day can take weeks. Cat is very particular like that.”

Alice nodded and smiled hugely at Nia, “Oh, this will be so fun! I was worried about tonight, but the only person here I don’t know is James. It’s kind of surprising, considering that I don’t know that many people,” she chuckled, “Now let’s play some games!”

They played in pairs, starting with charades which Kara and Alex dominated at. Winn and James only barely beat Nia and Alice at Trivial Pursuit, but a question about baseball was enough to give them the win. They drunkenly played Cards Against Humanity last, and Alice and Nia both walked away with the highest number of cards individually. 

The first to leave were Winn and Alex, each having an early morning the next day. Nia and Alice talked for a long time before Nia finally checked the clock and realized the time, “Holy shit, it’s nearly 1 a.m.. I need to get home, I’m really particular about how much sleep I get.”

Alice was nearly falling asleep anyway, her head laying on the arm of the couch and her eyes drooping, “come see me soon,” she said sleepily.

Nia smiled, reaching out to move her hair aside fondly, “Of course, Alice. I’ll come every day if you’re lonely.”

Alice smiled and was fast asleep in seconds. “Wow,” Kara said quietly, looking down at her, “I honestly wasn’t sure if she ever slept, she hasn’t been doing much of it since she’s been staying here.”

“Mhmm,” Nia hummed, closing her eyes with her hand on top of Alice’s head, “considering what happened before you brought her here, I don’t blame her. She probably doesn’t feel safe anywhere right now.”

Kara stared at Nia for a long moment, but Nia didn’t seem to notice.  _ Did Alice tell her about what happened? I don’t think they had any time alone to talk about it tonight… _

James cleared his throat and Nia stood suddenly, “Right! Time to go.”

James smiled at her, “Are you okay to drive?”

Nia shrugged, “Doesn’t matter, I’m walking. I’m only about two blocks from here if I take the usual shortcuts.”

James shook his head, “I’ll walk with you, then. It isn’t safe to go alone.”

“I’ll go too. Safety in numbers!” Kara said, approaching the door and grabbing her coat from the rack.

“Kara, there’s really no need to-”

Kara cut James off, she really didn’t want them out there wandering alone especially with the new knowledge of the large number of demons who hunted in the city, not to mention all the disappearances and murders that they’d been covering at CatCo.. “Safety in numbers! No use in trying to convince me not to come!”

Nia laughed quietly and when James turned to look at her she shrugged with a smile. “The more the merrier!”

 

James walked just behind them as Kara and Nia walked arm-in-arm chatting about the week they’d had and laughing over things that had happened at game night. James was uncomfortably, quiet though and Kara lifted her head and spoke loudly behind her, “You alright back there, James? You’re so quiet I almost forgot you were back there,” she joked.

James’s eyes were darting back and forth as he seemed to be listening very closely around them, “I just… I have a bad feeling.”

“We’ll be okay, James. Anyone would be stupid to take on the three of us,” she smiled.

Nia shook her head, “I honestly don’t know the first thing about self defense. I guess I do know a little bit about fighting, but it’s not like I enjoyed it. I was bullied a lot in school.”

Kara’s eyes widened, “I don’t know how anyone could bully you! You’re so sweet!”

“That was the problem. I was… too sweet for who they thought I should be. They’d make fun of me for it and for my clothes, and later my make up.”

Kara surged with anger, “That’s crazy! You have the best fashion sense in the office, like you should be writing the fashion column! Kids can be so cruel sometimes.”

Nia sighed and stopped where she stood, making Kara turn around with concern evident in her eyes and James stood with them in a circle, still looking around above their heads and seemingly puffing-up to make himself look bigger. “It means a lot to me, you saying that. I absolutely love fashion and I think it’s one of the best ways to reflect who you are on the inside, but, Kara, it’s… I wasn’t always like this. I didn’t always have the body that matched who I was inside.”

A crinkle appeared between Kara’s eyebrows as she thought about what Nia was saying, “Was it a weight issue or something?”

Nia shuffled uncomfortable for a short moment, before she stood still with confidence, “I’m transgender.”

Kara’s eyes widened, “Oh. Oh!” She paused, but only for a short moment, “That still doesn’t change anything I’ve said. Kids are cruel and your fashion sense is incredible,” she smiled and offered up her arm again, “Let’s get you home, Nia.”

Nia glanced at James who shrugged, “Makes no difference to me.”

Nia smiled, taking Kara’s arm and walking in step with her to round the corner. Before they entered the ally, Nia stopped very suddenly again. “Something’s wrong.”

Instantly five hooded figures jumped out of the shadows, balls of blue energy appearing in their hands, “This’ll sting, but it’ll make the throat cutting a lot easier,” a female voice crooned and before either Nia or Kara could react the balls were flying directly for them and James was pushing the girls behind him. Kara fell on the ground next to Nia and James raised up his left arm, a large shield of light floating in front of him as though it was attached to his arm. The sudden light was disorienting, all she could see was James’s silhouette moving swiftly, forcing the attackers back.

“The witches have a Guardian!” One of the hooded men shouted.

“No shit, Grimlock! We can see him!” Another one yelled, before gasping as James’s shield hit him directly in his gut. 

Kara blinked, slowly getting up and getting her bearings just as James’s took a heavy blow to the head and stumbled closer to Kara. “James!” Kara called, rushing to hold onto his shoulders as he breathed heavily on his knees.

“It’s alright, Kara. They can’t kill me, but it’s you and Nia they’re after. You need to get out of here!” He raised his shield, reflecting one of the energy balls at the strangers, the man screamed and disappeared in a slow puff of smoke. He’d been vanquished. 

“We’re not leaving you alone,” Nia said from behind them, she’d since stood and made her way to stand behind a dumpster, “We can help.”

Kara nodded at Nia, and ignoring James’s spoken warnings she raced forward, giving one of the men an uppercut to his jaw, forcing the hood off and revealing his face. 

His skin was the consistency and color of a burned steak, but he smelled more like trash that had been left in the sun for too-long. His eyes were yellow, catlike, and he hissed at Kara when they made eye contact. This was her first experience fighting a demon… Well, demons.

The woman who spoke to them first kicked Kara square in the back, forcing Kara into the demon she’d punched who wrapped his arms around her tightly.  _ Not tight enough _ , Kara thought, but she waited for her moment until kicking the demon right between the legs with her knee, spinning and punching the woman as she tried to rush her with a knife. The woman had since dropped her hood, revealing brown eyes and long, blond hair that had been pulled back tightly into a bun on her forehead. A witch, with a bunch of demons? Usually witches, even bad ones, and demons detested each other. She hadn’t expected to see them working together.

“Kara, behind you!” Nia shouted and Kara ducked, an energy ball flying over her and hitting the witch, who screamed as she fell to the ground, whimpering in pain. 

“No use in fighting them no more if she’s hurt,” one of the hooded demons said in a raspy voice, “Can’t get no powers without her.” The remaining demons began to disappear one by one until the last one grabbed onto the witch, vanishing together without a sound.

“What the fuck,” Nia said, stepping out from behind the dumpster, “I think the three of us need to talk.” Sirens could be heard in the distance, someone must have heard the commotion and called the cops. Kara needed a moment to sink in everything that had just happened, but she knew she didn’t have time to do that here.

“They’re going to make it here before we’re gone in we try to run,” Nia said with certainty. 

“Here,” James said, opening his arms, “I can basically teleport us somewhere safe.”

“Really? That’s so cool!” Nia exclaimed, but before she got to James, Kara grabbed her hand.

“Is that… really a good idea?” Kara asked cautiously.

“You don’t trust me,” James responded quietly and Kara couldn’t help but give him an apologetic look.

“It’s who he is,” Nia said seriously, “he’s still our friend James, just with bonus features.”

Kara laughed lightly as the sirens drew closer. “Okay, you’re right. Let’s go.”

“I, uh, need to hold you two in my arms,” James said awkwardly. Nia shrugged and they both walked into James’s arms. He tightened his arms around them and a bright light formed behind him. Were those… wings? They were, white feathers, emitting a comforting and and warm light enveloped them.

Right before the police cars pulled in front of the alley, they disappeared in a flurry of white feathers. 

 

“A Guardian?”

“A Guardian.” James said simply.

He’d taken them to Nia’s place, saying that he didn’t want to go back to Kara’s and wake up Kara, and then revealing that he had no place of his own. He hadn’t really explained that bit, though.

“What… what exactly does that mean?” Kara asked from her place on the couch next to Nia. Nia had grabbed the three of them glasses of water. Kara had nearly finished hers, the other two remained untouched.

“I… I’m not usually supposed to reveal this information to my charges…”

“Too late now,” Nia scoffed, finally picking up her water glass and taking a sip.

James sighed, “Could I at least ask if it’s allowed? This is a new job…”

Kara’s eyebrows raised, “You have a boss.”

James shifted uncomfortably, “Yes.”

“You’ll come right back?”

“Give me five minutes and I’ll return.”

Kara looked at Nia who gave her a nod of confirmation, “Okay, okay. It’s fine.” James’s wings appeared again behind him after he stood, circling behind him before loose feathers spun around him and he was gone, not leaving a single feather behind.

“That is  _ so cool _ !” Nia exclaimed, standing up, “Kara, what is all of this?? That guy with the weird face and they called us witches, I… Is that what I am?”

Kara raised an eyebrow, “Uh, do you have powers?”

Nia sat back down, closer to Kara this time. “I… see things. They started out as dreams, I would dream about meeting someone on the street and then it would happen. Once I dreamt of a robbery at a convenience store, the next evening it was on the news… Two people died,” Nia looked sad, “After that I… avoided sleep. I didn’t want to see any more things like that; it scared me… Eventually, though, I gave in. I learned to pick out hints of where these things were happening so I could call in tips to the police anonymously… Over time I started to have… visions, during the day. Now sometimes I just know things right before they happen.”

Kara listened carefully, “Did your family never tell you, your coven?”

Nia frowned, “My parents died in an accident when I was very young, I only barely remember them. I was adopted, by a rather nice family, but I never heard anything of a coven or anything like that.”

Kara nodded slowly, “I lost my parents in a fire, the Danvers family adopted me, but they were family friends. I always knew of my coven and my powers, but I know what it’s like to feel alone with your powers, to feel afraid of them. I’m very sorry you had to go through that.”

Nia bit her lip, “Actually, Kara… there’s something I need to tell yo-”

A bright light interrupted her, as James appeared, his wings disappearing behind him. “They’re not too happy with me, but… You are a special case, Kara. You may need more help than someone to just guide you in the right direction, and... “ he smiled at Nia, “You would have figured it out eventually any way.” He sat down across from them. 

“I’m sort of what you would consider a Guardian Angel, for good witches, warlocks, and sometimes humans with special destinies.”

“An angel, seriously? You said you were new to this, what did you do before?” Kara asked.

“I… Well, I knew your cousin, actually. Clark. I helped him with some demons and the like back in Metropolis, but I was alive then. Human. I never had any powers.”

Kara’s mouth dropped, “You-you’re him! The photographer who died in one of the explosions caused my Lex! Does Clark know you’re alive.”

James sighed, and looked to the side, “I-I’m not alive any more, Kara. I have to leave that life behind, there’s… more to do here. I was only assigned to you because of my intimate knowledge of the Kryptonians, things I learned from Clark and through some digging we did together. It’s very unusual for a Guardian to be paired with someone who is so close to someone we knew while we were alive. But, like I said, you’re a special case.”

Nia glanced at Kara, “Special how?”

“The best way I can put it is that your powers haven’t fully developed, and with the state of the underworld right now we could use some powerful witches fighting for good. Kara, the Coven of Krypton is… they were different from most witches, it’s rumoured that there’s angel blood in your family, from Gabriel himself. This is why you’re more powerful in the sun, it sort of… fills you up like a battery. It is just talk, though, no one really knows if it’s true, not even my bosses, but… there is a legend involving a witch with angel’s blood.”

Kara took a deep breath, “I’m sorry, this is… a lot to take in.”

Nia reached out, taking one of Kara’s hands and giving her a reassuring smile. 

“I… think that’s enough for now. I’m always around if you need me, you can just call,” James said, “I’m always available if you need help or have any questions.”

“So what, I’m just supposed to pick up my cell phone and call you up like, ‘oh hey here’s some demons maybe you could pop right in and do that guardian thing you do so well’?”

James laughed lightly, “No, Kara. You just say my name and I can fly in.”

“...You can hear me? Is that, like, all the time?” Kara asked.

“N-no!” James shook his hands in front of him, “Just-just when I know you’re in danger or you call my name. I can sense it. You too, Nia. I’m here to protect you too, and to help you learn how to control your magic.”

Nia nodded and Kara stared at the ground, a serious look of concentration on her face. “Sense it?”

James sighed, “I  _ can _ hear you in my head, and all my other charges. It’s a bit like flipping through radio stations, but oftentimes they overlap. I can sense my charge’s fears when they’re in danger, and that’s the only time I tune in. When they need me. I’m not Big Brother.”

Nia laughed and Kara side-eyed him, “Well, alright. But if I find out you’re spying on me I want a word with whoever’s in charge!”

James couldn’t help but let out a full-sounding laugh as Kara grinned.

Lena sat alone in her apartment at her counter, drinking a glass of red wine as she stared down at a vial that was carefully sealed. It wasn’t much, but it would do for what she needed. The color was a sparkling, deep blood-red, with black specks floating throughout. Even sitting untouched, she could see the liquid moving smoothly in circles in the glass. 

This was the only time she’d ever been alone with the tonic, even though she’d been taking it her whole life. It was always in an opaque cup, and she was never given time to look into it for too long. Longer than thirty seconds, holding it without drinking, and the demon sent to give it to her would either force her to drink it (that only happened while she was young, though) or take it and leave her with the headaches. She used to only have to take it once a week, but since taking over the company her mother insisted on every other day, and now every day. She knew it made her feel good, powerful, but she still felt suspicious over it. Especially because as of late it had a bitter taste she didn’t recognize. Could her mother be poisoning her? Lena was her only way into the power that L-Corp provided, so it was unlikely, but it didn’t stop her from worrying. 

Mon-El had brought her the vial at the end of the work day, a nervous look on his face as he repeatedly checked behind him, as though he was afraid he’d been followed even though he’d shimmered into the room directly from wherever the exchange for the vial happened. She took it from him and headed home immediately, planning on testing the tonic in her own home lab, but instead she sat on a stool with a bottle of wine, filling up a glass again and again as she stared at the vial, having no idea how much time had passed.

What was preventing her from taking it to her lab? From finally finding out what she’d been drinking all these years? Fear? It could be fear, but she didn’t seem to feeling any of that lately. Something in her told her to take the vial and just dump it down the drain, forget about it and continue on as she had been. She set the glass down, balling up her fists, her knuckles turning white until she reached out and grabbed the vial, walking to the sink with purpose. She uncorked it and held it high above the sink.

Her phone went off, a familiar text tone that she’d set specifically for one person. She put the cork back on the vial and carried it with her to her phone, picking it up with her free hand and unlocking it.  
  
**Kara:** Can’t wait to see you tonight! I could really use some Lena-time right about now!  
  
Lena pulled her attention to the clock at the top right of her screen. 3:31 A.M. Well, that was…  _ Interesting. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get at me on the tweets @SeventeenthStar for my personal or @LoveLuthor if you just wanna see @supercorp and fandom stuff.
> 
> Have a beautiful day, night, whatever. I hope your decisions are much easier to make than Lena's right now and I hope ya'll have your own Guardians in your lives to help you be happy and all that. If not, they will come, and until then you can shoot me a message on twitter and I'll send you happy things. 
> 
> As always, make good choices!!


	10. Maybe I'm Waking Up Today

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Murder and what's really in Lena's tonic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey so like TW for graphic depictions of violence. This chapter get's pretty messy. You can skip past the whole murder scene bit and I'll summarize in the end notes the important bits.
> 
> I should be sleeping right now, but instead I'm sitting on the floor of my girlfriend's bedroom. She fell asleep watching Game of Thrones and I have school tomorrow oops
> 
> I don't have a beta and I kinda try to get these chapters out ASAP for ya'll so I only ever skim them to fix small mistakes so I'm sorry for any mistakes

 

> _"I thought I saw the devil_  
>  _This morning_  
>  _Looking in the mirror, drop of rum on my tongue_  
>  _With the warning_  
>  _To help me see myself clearer_  
>    
>  _I never meant to start a fire_  
>  _I never meant to make you bleed_  
>  _I'll be a better man today_  
>    
>  _I'll be good, I'll be good_  
>  _And I'll love the world, like I should_  
>  _Yeah, I'll be good, I'll be good_  
>  _For all of the time_  
>  _That I never could_  
>    
>  _My past has tasted bitter_  
>  _For years now_  
>  _So I wield an iron fist_  
>  _Grace is just weakness_  
>  _Or so I've been told_  
>  _I've been cold, I've been merciless_ _  
> _ _But the blood on my hands scares me to death_ _  
> Maybe I'm waking up today" - 'I'll Be Good', Jaymes Young_

_"Danvers!”_ Snapper’s gruff voice and the sound of a huge stack of papers hitting her desk woke Kara up immediately, “I don’t pay you for your incredible napping skills, I pay you to write!”

Kara blinked, trying to chase the tiredness away, but she couldn’t help but yawn. Snapper rolled his eyes, “Listen, ponytail. I’ve got somethin’ that’ll keep you awake for days. A tip was just called in, there was another murder within a block of here. All the other reporters are refusing to go, so I guess you could say it’s your lucky day.”

Kara nodded quickly, jumping up and grabbing her purse. “Take the fresh blood with you,” Snapper said, motioning to Nia where she sat with her head on her desk, “Apparently both of you could use the wake up call.”

After what had happened with James the night before, both Nia and Kara were exhausted. Kara barely slept all night after James dropped her off at her apartment, her mind was full of questions that she couldn’t fully form. She’d been laying in bed for twenty minutes before she sent a text to Lena, somehow feeling calmer after and falling asleep after another twenty of wondering what Lena had planned for them tonight.

Kara woke Nia up (a lot gentler than Snapper had woken her) and the two of them boarded the elevator, sharing a yawn and then laughing quietly. “I think it’s safe to say that neither of us got much sleep tonight,” Nia commented as the doors slid open and they made their way across the lobby and out into the street.

“Snapper said that no one else wanted to check out this tip. From what I’ve heard of the other murders it’s… not gonna be easy to see,” Kara said.

“You’d be surprised by the things I’ve seen in my dreams, this will probably be a cakewalk,” Nia sighed, “Still, your warning is noted.”

Snapper wasn’t lying when he said that the crime scene was within a block of the office. It was a quick walk and the place wasn’t exactly hard to miss. There were police cars lined up in front of the building, their lights flashing and people standing in a crowd outside, hoping to get a glimpse of something that would give them an idea of what was going on. Men in National City Police uniforms stopped anyone who got too close to the door, some of their faces were pale as if they were only moments from vomiting; it was likely that they were the ones who had actually seen the body.

What surprised Kara the most was Alex standing on the front steps, talking to who must be the police lieutenant. Alex’s head turned, almost as if sensing them there and her eyes widened when they met Kara’s. Alex ended her conversation immediately and slipped under the crime scene tape to talk to her sister.

“What are you doing here?” She said in an urgent whisper, her hands on her hips and her eyes looking up at Kara’s fiercely.  

“Uh, work?” Kara replied, holding up her press badge with an apologetic smile, “I guess CatCo got an anonymous tip.”

Alex surveyed the rest of the crowd, “It does seem you’re the first press here.”

“Do us a favor, Alex? Let us in? It’d really help us out.” Kara said and Alex’s eyes fell back on her.

“This is… uh, an FBI case here. I can’t have just anyone walking around the crime scene,” she glanced at Nia.

“Oh come on, Alex. You know me, and you know Nia! And guess what…” Kara leaned in to say the next bit quietly in Alex’s ear, “Nia is kinda psychic. She can see things, maybe she’ll pick up something from the scene that’ll help you out.”

Alex’s eyes widened, “Nia, is she serious? You’re a witch?”

Nia shrugged, “News to me, honestly. I didn’t even know until late last night.”

Alex furrowed her brow, looking back at her sister.

“Yeah, uh. I’ve got a lot to tell you. But, later. This is what’s important now,” Kara motioned toward the door.

“You can really see things, Nia? Like visions or something? Or do you talk to ghosts?”

“I don’t know about ghosts, but I do have visions. Sometimes of things that have happened in the past so Kara’s right, I might be able to help,” Nia responded.

Alex’s eyes turned to the side as she thought it over, “Okay. Fine.” She pointed a finger at Nia and then at Kara, “But you two don’t touch _anything_.”

“On my honor as a witch!” Nia replied, doing the scout salute.

Kara laughed, “You’ve only known your a witch for, like, thirteen hours!”

Nia grinned as they followed Alex inside. “I take my new lot in life _very_ seriously.”

 

For the first time ever, Lena called in sick to work. She texted Jess, telling her to push all her meetings to the following week and then head home. Jess deserved a night off, Lena was sure that Jess was the only other person at L-Corp who worked as hard as she did. She hoped that she made the most of her Friday night.

She sat in her small home-lab, writing down observations as she researched the tonic she’d been taking for the last eleven, almost twelve, years. So far, it hadn’t been exactly… easy.

There were a few herbs that were easy to make out, things common in witchcraft in spells and potions for protection. Finding those first put her at ease, but of course the good about the tonic was the easiest to find. Everything after was… questionable. Things that were impossible to find above ground, that were only available in the Underworld. That was never a good sign. Lena sat with her own Book of Shadows, a book of good magic that her father had probably stolen from a witch after killing her. She found it in her father’s study late one night when she was fifteen, it was old and worn buried under other books that she didn’t even bother to look at. It was as though the book called out to her, the leather binding was tinted a beautiful red, with gold etching throughout, coming together on the cover to form a beautiful golden symbol that she was never able to find the meaning of. But she scoured over the book that night, and did her best to hide it from her family ever since. They didn’t deserve this source of knowledge; this intimate look into good magic. There were pages upon pages of spells, of ingredients to potions unlike anything known to her family, and there was a surprising amount of intel on demons, even some that Lena herself knew.

There was a sharp script that marked the edges of some pages; additional notes made by someone in the coven that this book once belonged to. Sometimes there were small reminder notes, to pick up this herb or use this ritual on this date and time. Lena loved it, it felt like her only real attachment to the good in this world, it reminded her that there was another path than the one that the Luthors had planned for her. So, she protected it. And used it in situations like this.

The wings of a newborn fairy, the liquid from an elderly person’s eyes, the tears of a witch who’d lost someone… Each ingredient made her feel sick to her stomach, but they also sounded… familiar somehow.

Her stomach dropped, her eyes grew wide and she pulled the Book of Shadows to her, nearly knocking her notes and some of her equipment off the table. She flipped through the pages wildly until she reached one of the final pages.

She’d read this a few times when she was younger. It was written in the same script that the various notes throughout the book were written in. Lena always imagined that who ever it was, was a woman not unlike herself; someone struggling with their self. Trying to find some semblance of inner peace. The very last page was also written in the same script, but in a language that Lena didn’t understand. She made the assumption that whoever it was who wrote these last pages was the last owner of the book, a witch or warlock who had been likely murdered by her father.

Her hand shook, resting on the page, caressing the words as she felt tears in her eyes. Tears of anger, fear, as she read the ingredients and then the purpose written below it.

 

_Usually red, sparkly. It calls out to you, begging you to drink, speaking soft words that say that it will be easier if you take a sip, but a single sip turns into another and another until there isn’t a single drop left. A poison unlike any other, an addiction that can become impossible to overcome. I am trying to come up with a way to combat this, but nothing seems to be working. I fear I will be the last of my coven, that this will truly be the end of me._

_Making one more powerful once they drink it, mostly demons, it also quiets down the good within the soul. Base instincts of survival, a greed that become almost unbearable, and fury like I’ve never known are what replace what was once a sense of love, happiness, of the will to be kind or see good in anything. It’s dark, very dark, but also wonderfully freeing. Everything becomes easier when you have no conscience to dictate your choices, things are so much easier without the guilt; when you only care for yourself and what you want._

The next part was written in another color of ink, as though it had been written later.

 

_Bitterness means demon blood given freely. Withdrawals become so much worse, and madness comes easily when drank._

 

Lena dropped the book and it fell to the floor, closing with a loud _thud_ that Lena didn’t notice. Demon Blood. They were already poisoning her, stealing away her desire to do good and strengthening the demon inside her, but then they began adding demon’s blood. The most addictive substance in the underworld, but infamous for making demons go insane. It was what had taken her brother, his mind forever lost now as he screamed in a hidden cell somewhere, where her mother claimed he was being rehabilitated. They were killing her, the side of her that she thought was truly her. She swung an arm angrily, knocking her equipment to the ground and making the vial of tonic fall to the ground and shatter.

She could taste bile in the back of her throat, feel the harsh waves of a headache rising wildly in her head. The tonic would make her feel better. It would take the pain away. She could do it; run everything. Take over. The evil felt good; powerful. She knew that she was stronger, smarter, than her brother. She could be queen so easily, it was in her grasp and it felt so good. The killing, the beating, breaking filthy good witches and warlocks. It would be  _delightful._

She rushed to the bathroom and vomited.

 

[Note: Graphic depictions of violence ahead. Continue past this to the "~~~~~~" to skip it, there's a summary of what's important in the end notes}

The scene was worse than Kara had imagined. Alex warned her before they walked into the apartment, but she still… wasn’t prepared. The other murders had been just one person, alone in their apartment, cut open and their organs and blood had been used in something that appeared ritualistic. Every time there was no sign of forced entry, the door and windows were always locked and the only finger prints on the murder weapon (a double sided blade, something Kara had been seeing a lot of lately) were that of the victim.

This time there were three bodies. All the furniture had been pushed to the side as if to make room. Two of the bodies, cut in various places and unrecognizable as male or female, were held up with wires and set up together as if they were dancing in a ballroom. The third lay in the corner of the room, a woman with dead eyes staring at the dancing scene with a smile cut into her face. Her wrists had been slit and her blood used to create symbols on each of the four walls. Kara recognized them as the four demonic symbols for each of the elements. It appeared that each of their hearts had been cut out and left in four bowls left in a triangle on the ground in the center of the room, each heart had obviously been burned, with one somehow still smoking.

Kara was silent, and Nia gasped, grabbing onto Kara and hiding her face in her shoulder. “I just… I just need a moment,” Nia whispered, her breath shaky and Kara could barely feel tears falling onto her shirt. Really, she could barely feel anything. She felt numb, cold. She was likely in shock.

“I know,” Alex said quietly, placing a hand on Kara’s arm, “Not exactly something you see in Law & Order.”

“I don’t…” Kara cleared her throat, closing her eyes but the image had already been burned into her mind like a brand, “I don’t understand… who could do something like this…” She opened her eyes, taking them off of the bodies and meeting Alex’s.

“Demons,” Alex said, “It looks like they’ve been performing these… rituals, all over the city. It’s starting to seem like it’s for something much, much bigger. Kara, I warned you that demons were-”

“I know, Alex. They’re dangerous. They’re evil. They do things like… like _this.”_ Kara shook her head, “This only gives me more reason to want to help, to want to stop them. These people… they didn’t deserve to die like this. Are they… are they witches or muggles?”

“A few have been witches and a few have been warlocks. The dancers, here, they don’t… seem to be magical which would be a first, but…” she motioned to the woman in the corner, “She’s a member of the Coven of Daxam. Not exactly a bright and shiny coven, but her record paints her as a saint. She may have been one of the more… agreeable members of the coven.”

Nia pulled away from Kara, reaching to the wall to hold herself up as she gasped quietly.

“It doesn’t matter what coven she was in, Alex. She was still a person,” Kara said quietly.

“You’re right, I’m sorry for sounding so flippant. It just makes cases like this… easier.”

Nia sank to the ground, her eyes wide as she looked up at the other two women. “They-they did this themselves.”

Kara’s jaw dropped and Alex fell on one knee, holding onto Nia’s shoulder to comfort her, “Nia, you saw something?”

Nia nodded, looking at the bodies and then immediately closing her eyes, her head turning up as she swallowed deeply. “I saw them, with the knife. One by one cutting into themselves. The two, the uh, dancers” she motioned with her head, “they danced as they skinned themselves and their partner. It was, uh, tw-two men.”

“Can you describe them for me?” Alex asked, pulling out a small tablet to take notes.

“One was, uh,” Nia’s eyes were still closed, as she appeared to be watching the scene again in her head, “Handsome, Asian. Soft eyes, gentle. He was wearing, uh… Uh, a... a watch... Rolex! Engraved, a, uh, I think it’s a Japanese symbol. I don’t know what it means.”

“Can you draw it for me?”

Nia nodded and Alex handed her the tablet, allowing Nia to draw it with her finger. She still didn’t open her eyes.

“Th-there,” she said shakily.

“You’re doing so good, Nia, thank you, thank you. Can you tell me about the other man?”

“He was tall, white. Looks like every other white dude,” she replied, laughing awkwardly, “I’m sorry, I just-”

“It’s ok, Nia. I know it must not be easy to see. We can stop if you need to.”

Nia shook her head and Kara watched them both, standing above them and feeling the need to just _do_ something, but feeling completely at a loss.

“The white man, his hair was dyed blue. It was short, in a faux-hawk. His eyes matched his hair, he had a tattoo of a dolphin on his… right arm.”

“Thank you, Nia. Is there anything else that seems important?”

Nia’s eyebrows furrowed as she concentrated before opening her eyes and shaking her head. “I didn’t see it until the end, just… Just the beginning bits. I… I didn’t see them cut their hearts out, I don’t even know how that would be possible.”

Kara was staring at the bodies, the delicate way they were all positioned, “There’s definitely someone behind all this, someone who likes to put on a show. I don’t think they could have attached those wires to the ceiling and then to themselves, not like that. Alex, you said this is the first one with three murders? What were the other’s like?”

“Always a witch or a warlock, we haven’t figured out if there’s a pattern other than that, yet. The covens and types of magic the victim possessed doesn’t seem to be the reason, which is actually pretty rare. Demons and other evil tend to target witches with active powers, those considered more dangerous. They sometimes steal the power, and other times the kill is just for the prestige that it will gain them in the other world. Now, these kills… I don’t know. Each scene had one body, cut with a double edged blade, but only the leg, arms, and throat. They weren’t skinned like those two. But their hearts were cut out, surrounded by a circle of black candles. Their eyes were always closed and they weren’t really, positioned like this.”

“Nia, was the woman cutting herself at the same time as the men?”

Nia shook her head, “No, it was like she couldn’t look away from them, she looked like she wanted to maybe cry or scream but couldn’t. It wasn’t until the men were well into skinning each other that I saw her slit her wrists.”

Kara stared at the woman’s body, a feeling of immense sadness overwhelming her. “I think… I think this was more personal than the others. I just… They way it’s set up, so different from the others…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Kara, you need to go. Thank you two for your help, and I hope you got enough to write about without being _too_ descriptive, but you two should go. And don’t include anything about the position the men are in, and of course keep any magic-bits to yourself. We need to keep some things under wraps for the investigation.”

Kara nodded. “I understand, Alex. I’m not going to let this go, though. I would like to help you any way I can. You let me know or I’ll have to go hunting by myself.”

Alex sighed, “I’ll ask Hank, but I can’t promise anything. Now get out of here, both of you.”

Kara wanted to use super-speed to leave the apartment, she wanted to go miles away. The smell followed her for the rest of the day, until she got home and took three scalding showers.

After the last shower, as she toweled her hair she heard the notification tone from her phone.

 

 **Lena:** I think we should cancel tonight. I’m having a rough day, have a bad headache and I think I need to sit in my apartment and do nothing for awhile. I’m so sorry, Kara. I really do want to see you.

 

Kara frowned. She was really hoping for a pleasant end to this horrifying day. She needed a palette cleanser desperately. She needed Lena. She unlocked her phone to reply.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Crime Scene: Three bodies, two were skinned (they did it themselves) and the third one was cut, her blood used to make symbols n stuff. Nia had a premonition and watched the whole thing happen, and she was able to describe the victims to Alex. Kara thinks that maybe this murder was more personal than the others. <\--- Summary for those who don't like the graphic bits.
> 
> I struggled A LOT with writing this chapter. It took me like six or so hours today to write it, mostly me staring at the screen just not knowing what to do. I'm hoping tomorrow will be easier. Anyway, thanks for reading!
> 
> Twitter: @SeventeenthStar or @LoveLuthor


	11. How Soon Is Now?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I'm sorry for posting this after so long but I sorta started to neglect things in my life by doing so much writing, oops
> 
> So chances are I'll be posting less frequently, but don't worry! I will post AT LEAST one chapter a week!
> 
> So yeah in order to apologize I gave ya'll a treat that I hadn't expected to write for some time haha.  
> I hope you like the chapter!

 

> _"You shut your mouth_  
>  _How can you say_  
>  _I go about things the wrong way?_  
>  _I am human and I need to be loved_  
>  _Just like everybody else does_
> 
> _When you say it's gonna happen "now"_  
>  _Well when exactly do you mean?_  
>  _See I've already waited too long_  
>  _And all my hope is gone" - 'How Soon Is Now?', The Smiths_

 

It took surprisingly little convincing to get Lena to give up dinner plans, or staying at home, in lieu of wine and trash television. It was near 9 PM when Lena knocked on Kara’s door, circles under her eyes and an air of… defeat? She lacked her usual powerful-business-woman vibe, her shoulders drooped and her hair was lazily pulled back, hair loose around her face. Kara felt an instant sense of concern and pulled Lena inside, nearly pushing her onto the couch and throwing a full glass of red wine into her hand, which Lena accepted gratefully. Even with Lena in such disarray, Kara still found her quite beautiful.

“What are you still doing in a skirt and heels?” Kara asked, turning the TV to Netflix to find something to watch.

“Trying to get me out of my clothes already, Kara? You haven’t even treated me to dinner yet.”

Adjusting her glasses, Kara kept her eyes on the tv hoping her face wasn’t reddening. “You know what I mean, Lena.”

Lena shrugged, taking a long drink from her wine glass, “I didn’t even go into the office today. It’s just habit, I suppose.”

Kara bit her lip, thinking, “You’re such a workaholic, I didn’t think you ever took days off.”

“I don’t,” Lena responded, “I was still working at home. I have a small lab, not to mention a home office. It _is_ rare for me to not go into the office, but I haven’t been feeling myself lately.”

Kara hummed in understanding, “Well, for tonight you really need to fully relax! I’ll be right back.”

Lena watched as Kara disappeared through a door that she assumed was likely her bedroom door. She finished her glass while she listened to the sounds of Kara shuffling about in her room. She got up and walked to the counter, her heels making satisfying clacking noises as she walked across the wood in the kitchen. She grabbed the bottle of wine that Kara had opened and filled her class to the brim, taking another long drink before Kara came out of her room with a handful of clothes.

“Here,” Kara said with a big smile as she handed off the clothes to Lena who blinked in surprise, “Sweats, a comfy sweater, and some fluffy socks I bought just two days ago. I haven’t had a chance to test them out yet but I’m sure they’re great.”

Lena carefully placed her glass on the counter and stared down at the clothes Kara had given her. A National University sweater with matching sweatpants and two large fluffy socks with a dogs face on the end of each sock, floppy ears hanging off them and all.

“Believe me, you’ll feel much better after you change!” Kara shepherded Lena into the bathroom and shut the door, leaving her alone.

Kara wasn’t kidding, somehow Lena felt more at ease in the new clothes, more comfortable. The sleeves on the sweater were a bit long on her, but she sort of loved tucking her hands inside, and there was the bonus of it all smelling like Kara. Before exiting the bathroom Lena tucked her nose under the collar of the sweatshirt, closing her eyes and breathing in; Kara’s scent overwhelming her and making her day seem far less terrible.

Kara was sitting on the couch when Lena returned, she had a wine glass in one hand and the television remote in the other. Something about seeing Kara in her home environment--her legs up the the couch, tucked underneath her as she leaned against the armrest surfing channels--made her somehow more endearing to the CEO. Lena rarely saw anyone like this, she was so used to all of her time being spent in the office, or trying to deal with demons and warlocks who made it their business to flaunt their power as though they were better than her, this was… refreshing. Humanizing. She set her clothes on a nearby chair and found her place next to Kara on the couch.

“I ordered chinese food while you were changing, I hope you’re okay with that?”

Lena nodded, noticing that Kara had moved her wine glass from the counter to the coffee table in front of her. She picked up her glass with a smile, “somehow this night wouldn’t be complete without us eating directly of chinese take-out containers.”

Kara chuckled softly, “Would you like to tell me what’s bothering you? I’m here to listen.”

Lena wanted to. She could feel the slight buzz of the alcohol clouding her judgment, and the way Kara looked at her made her feel safe somehow, sharing with her could be easy. But no, Lena couldn’t really tell her friend about all the problems in her life right now. _Yeah so my mother has been poisoning me with evil and trying to convince me to become the strongest, most powerful, and most dangerous demon in the underworld but I’ve been trying for so long to be_ **_good_ ** _, but with both my father’s and birth mother’s demon blood flowing through my veins I recognize the impossibility of it, of pretending to be something I’m not. I am a demon, I have no soul, and someday I will likely rule over hell._ She took another long drink from her glass, pushing the need to tell Kara down her throat with each drop of liquid.

“Family drama,” was all Lena said, “It all tends to melt into my business life as well, what with L-Corp originally being my brother’s company. I have it handled, however.” She waved a hand, as if waving off the subject. “What about you, Kara? You seem to have a lot on your mind.”

It was almost as if all the light had been sucked out of her friend in an instant. Kara’s eyes dropped, and Lena noticed her hands slightly trembling. She couldn’t stop herself from reaching out and grabbing one of them, running her fingers soothingly over the back of Kara’s hand. “Wow, Kara. I didn’t mean to blot out the sun?”

Kara’s eyebrows furrowed, “Huh?”

Lena shook her head, unable to stop herself from smiling fondly at the blond, “You, Kara. You’re the sun. I asked you what was on your mind and it was as though the whole room went from day to night.”

Kara bit her lip, “Oh. Well, I’m sure you’ve heard of all the murders happening lately?”

Lena had to stop herself from freezing completely, from letting on that she knew anything other than what was on the news about the murders. Lena had been tracking them over the past few weeks; they were getting more frequent and she could feel a pattern emerging in the victims. “Yes. Although, I have heard only very little.”

Kara nodded slowly, her eyes staring down at Lena’s hands around hers. “I visited one of the crime scenes today. It was…”

Lena’s eyes widened. She’d seen the crime scene photos of the other murders herself. She’d seen many ritual killings, even participated in a few herself but these… these made even her skin crawl. “Ah, I see. I’m sure it wasn’t easy. Things like that can really stick with you.”

Kara nodded again, clearing her throat, “I really wanted to see you tonight, after all that. I knew you could take my mind off of it.”

Lena raised an eyebrow and Kara looked up at her, “Oh?”

Kara sputtered, “You! N-not like that! Oh, darn it Lena! You know what I mean!”

Lena laughed, “Yes, love. I know what you mean. I feel the same way, really.”

Kara smiled then, some of her light returning, “Good! May we have a night full of pleasant memories and distractions!”

There was a knock at the door and Lena bit her lip, unable to stop her mind from imagining some pleasant memories she’d like to make with Kara. Skin on skin, warmth, exploring with her lips.

Lena had her hand on her head and over her eyes as though she was fighting off a major headache by the time Kara dropped the chinese food on the coffee table with an excited flourish. “Food at last!” Kara exclaimed, before finally taking in Lena, “Oh, Lena! Are you ok?”

Lena smiled slightly, dropping her hand, “Yes, just still fighting off that migraine,” she said as an excuse.

Kara turned on Riverdale and they dug into their food, trading take out boxes back and forth and laughing easily over Kara’s own stories of high school. Lena wasn’t watching the show at all, but she didn’t think Kara was either. They were too involved in each other, and the conversation didn’t have any real lulls for them to switch their attention to the tv.

Lena finished eating far before Kara, but when Kara finally set the last empty box on the table with a pleased sigh, her phone went off with a notification. Kara lazily reached to the end table to pick up her phone and read whatever it was she got. She smiled, obviously pleased by whatever the content was and sent a reply.

“That’s quite a smile,” Lena teased, “Someone special?” She couldn’t really admit to herself the small amount of jealousy she felt at the thought.

Kara chuckled, “Just my roommate. She texted to let me know she’s staying at our friend’s place tonight. It’s been awhile since they’ve had any time together, so I’m happy for her.”

“I didn’t know you had a roommate.”

Kara shrugged, “It’s a fairly new thing, and it’s probably not permanent, but it’s been nice having company.”

The last time Lena lived with another person was when she lived in her family’s huge mansion outside of Metropolis until she turned sixteen and managed to get into college. She got out as soon as possible, but she could never escape the Luthor name and her mother’s power over her. Lena wanted nothing more to be loved by her mother, and once she realized that her mother could never care for her the way she did for Lex, her goal became simply to gain some validation from Lilian, only to please her.

Getting out of the house, however, began to change her view of the world and what she wanted. She began to feel free-er in spite of the two demons tailing her wherever she went. Her mother could follow her, try to puppet her from afar, but Lena no longer felt the need to satisfy her mother. She began to stand on her own feat and discover what her goals actually were.

However, her mother was back now and she was sinking her nails into Lena’s head and trying to mold it as if it were clay.

They were silent for a little while, just sort of staring at the screen, not much caring what was going on. At some point, Kara had gotten up to get some water and when she sat down, she sat right next to Lena instead on the other side of the couch. Lena’s eyebrows raised in surprise, but she didn’t look over at Kara, somehow frightened of scaring her away.

“It’s getting a bit chilly, I thought we could share a blanket,” Kara said with a smile as she took the blanket that was hung over the couch behind them and laid it over their legs.

Lena smiled at her, “Thanks, Kara. You’re always so thoughtful.”

 

Kara’s hands ran over her skin, cold from sitting in an icy room, but Lena didn’t care. Kara’s lips were soft, but wanting, against her own. So in sync, it had never felt so right with anyone else. Lena slipped her fingers under the hem of Kara’s shirt, her hands running up her stomach and chest, exploring and imprinting the feel of her skin without touching her breasts.

Kara removed her lips, sitting up where she was straddling Lena, her hands reaching down to the front of her shirt, grasping the fabric and lifting it above her head revealing beautifully detailed abs better than Lena had imagined. Kara smiled down at her and in an instant she was breathing hot breath into Lena’s ear, sending a shiver down through her body and causing a small groan that she couldn’t contain.

“Lena Luthor, you deserve to be loved. And I’m going to show you just how much I love you,” Kara purred quietly in her ear and she felt a wave run through her body, like she’d never felt before. _Love._ It made her want Kara more.

Kara nipped at Lena’s ear and then down her long neck until she reached the top of Lena’s dressed and muttered, obviously upset that her clothes were blocking her way down Lena’s chest. Within a moment, Kara had torn Lena’s dress straight down the middle and without missing a beat her lips were back to worshipping Lena’s neck and chest. It all felt remarkable. Kara’s hands ran down Lena’s side and her hips moved forward against her, so much at once. It was exquisite.

Kara grasped the top of Lena’s black underwear and looked up at her with more adoration and love than she deserved. “Come here,” Lena said, pulling Kara up to her lips and kissing her, thanking her silently with each touch of her lips, her tongue sliding into Kara’s mouth, moving right under her lip before she removed it quickly and bit Kara’s bottom lip, pulling lightly with a grin at Kara’s moan. Kara pulled away, holding herself up over Lena and examining her face with a gentle smile. The light behind her illuminated her, made her look like an angel straight from heaven

An angel, her angel. She was meant to go.

Lena’s eyes glowed gold and before she knew it, there was fire in her hands and she burned Kara harshly, fiercely, it was only seconds before Kara was ash strewn across the sheets, much of it over Lena. She got out of bed, patting the ash off of her, looking as though she was bored.

She felt complete, somehow. She shimmered out of the apartment without taking a second look at what she had done.

 

Lena awoke shivering, with a gasp as though she hadn’t been breathing. She began to cough, a bit of ash falling into her hand from her lungs. Her eyes widened and she looked down, Kara had fallen asleep and at some point had rested her head on Lena’s lap. She looked peaceful. Lena wish she could sleep that peacefully.

Her stomach felt hollow somehow, as though it were trying to suck her into a black hole, making her disappear completely. Which, would really be great right about now.

She slowly slid off the couch, holding Kara’s head up as she freed her legs and placing it back slowly to rest. Kara didn’t stir, she didn’t even make a sound. There was no reaction. Lena felt a slight panic and reached forward, checking her pulse. _She’s fine._ She caressed Kara’s face carefully with her fingers, loving the softness and warmth of her skin. She sighed, pulling away and securing the blanket around Kara, even tucking her in. It really was astounding how deeply she could sleep, Lena found it somehow endearing.

She grabbed her purse and her stack of clothes, smiling down at Kara as she slept, “Goodnight, Kara. Thank you.”

“Mhm, Lena…” Came Kara’s soft voice, surprising Lena but Kara didn’t move at all, or appeared to be awake at all.

She shook her head and snuck to the front door, leaving it and locking it behind her.

It was unlikely that she could see Kara ever again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm either gonna make the whole story rather sort (in my terms) by finishing up the plots that are going on and have, you know, an ending. Or to write something much longer, with solving some plots and adding others, almost a little episodic and having a little bit more fun with this AU, but it would make it muuuch more of a slow burn. I'd like your opinion on this if you're willing to give it!
> 
> My girlfriend says my chapters are too long, is that true? Does it bother, ya'll?
> 
> Come at me on twitter @SeventeenthStar or on my stan account @loveluthor
> 
> I hope all your lives are filled with something shiny and happy! Make good choices~


	12. Raise the Mask

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi I'm not very happy with this, I'm sorry

> _ "If all you're seeing is your lies _ __   
>  _ You had your chance, but now you've blown it. _ __   
>  _ You want this world so you can own it _ __   
>  _ I am the keeper of the songs of everyone _ __   
>  __   
>  _ Look into the sun and see your soul is dying _ _   
>  _ _ Used to feel the faith, but now you're tired of trying _ _   
>  _ __ Should have left alone what you have stolen from everyone" - 'Prophecy', Remy Zero

“She’s stopped taking the tonic.”

A man in an expensive suit stared at the man who spoke with hard eyes where he sat behind a black desk appearing to be made of pure obsidian. He stood slowly, revealing his startling height and checked his nails with feigned interest. The room was dark, lit by torches revealing rock walls around them. They may have been in something resembling a cave, but it didn’t stop its owner from furnishing it to his expensive tastes; red and gold carpets lined the floors, a fully-stocked bar was against one wall, and behind the desk was a wall of fire. This lighting made the suited man appear to be a shadow, and it was hard to make out his face other than his eyes; like cold, hard, shiny steel with a dangerous spark.

“She, uh, it seems like she’s trying to reverse the company’s direction. No more weapons and viruses, more medicines and the like…” The visitor rubbed his hands together nervously, his face and old clothes covered in a layer of dirt.

The taller man snapped his fingers, causing a small spark of red light and the other man whimpered softly, taking a step back. He sighed, raising his hand and running it across his head as if he was trying to run it through hair, but he had none. He circled the desk, standing over the man who’d brought him this news and looked him up and down as though he was deciding what animal would be next for the slaughter, but he turned away from him. “If she won’t cooperate then we’ll just have to reveal our little secret. She’ll do whatever we want once she knows.” He placed a slender, pale hand onto the cold desk and sighed. “I’d hoped we wouldn’t have to do this, but at this point, after all that time wasted attempting to convince her to do this willingly… I think my sister needs a wake-up call.”

The other man nodded quickly, shuffling a little on his two feet, “Would you like me to tell Mrs. Luthor, sir? To meet with the princess?”

The bald man sighed, “Getting my sister onto the throne won’t be easy, but once she’s there we can use her blood as needed and I’ll finally have my throne… Yes, and warn my mother that if she can’t handle it, I’ll have to take care of it myself.” He turned back to face the lesser demon, raising his fingers and allowing red sparks to strike in between his fingers, “In the end, we’ll get her to do what we want.”

“Uh-um, yes… Yes, Mr. Luthor.”

Lex grinned, reaching out to touch the man’s face before red flashed from his hand and he screamed in terror, falling to his knees. “Just sending a message, Harry. It’s nothing personal,” he smiled as the man whimpered from the floor, one hand reaching up to cover the spot where Lex had wounded him, “Now, get your filth out of my office and get it done.”

 

Kara woke up with Alice standing over her with curious eyes and a smile, “Good night?” She asked.

Yawning, Kara sat up and looked around her, “Where’s Lena?”

Alice laughed, “You were asking the same thing in your sleep. She must have gone home after you fell asleep,” She shrugged and padded to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee.

Kara blinked, trying to shake the sleepiness away and reached for her phone which was only at fifteen percent and it was already past noon. She checked to see if there was a message from Lena, but there was nothing. Hiding her disappointment, she stood up and stretched. “How was your night?”

Alice smiled, “It was great catching up with Nia, I just wish I had more to talk about than the time between when I escaped and now. I’m sure I had a whole life before any of it, Nia promised to try and see if she could have any dreams of my past, or anything to help us take the operation down.”

Kara opened the fridge, taking out a carton of orange juice and drinking directly from the carton. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “Seems like we have work to do.”

 

Hours later, Kara sat with Alice, Nia, and James in a coffee shop across from the entrance to Edge Global. They’d made Alice wear a brunette wig that they found deep in Kara’s closet from a Lara Croft costume Kara wore years ago. They didn’t want anyone at Edge Global recognizing her. 

They sat quietly; Nia staring at her phone, James sitting back casually writing on a notepad, Alice looking around nervously, and Kara stirring her drink as she tried to concentrate her hearing. She glanced up at Alice, who was staring out the window with a serious expression before Kara closed her eyes and tried to silence the ambiance of the coffee shop. Dropping the sounds one by one, staring with a man sitting a few tables away to was tapping his feet, then the sound of lattes being made, the bored voice of the girl behind the counter as she took someone’s order, and the sound of chairs shifting. She allowed her hearing to pass on into the street in front of the Cafe, then silencing the bikes riding past, the engines of cars as they rolled by, the clacking of heels on the concrete outside. She neared the building, taking in the sound of the revolving door and then silencing that as well as she began to search the building floor by floor for anything that caught her attention. 

“-no way that she’s managing on her own out there,” came a gruff voice in one of the elevators as it rose, “She’s not active, she should only have the memory of basically a child, when she disappeared she was in her tabula rasa state, no imprint there at all.”

“She  _ escaped _ , not  _ disappeared, _ George. I don’t think a person with a child-like mind could have walked out of here so easily. There’s a problem. Fix it. And I’ll have more of my men search for the girl,” another man’s voice responded, “If this gets out then that stupid Luthor bitch can gain more power and keep undoing the board, she could ruin me. If we don’t find the girl, if another one of your playthings escapes; I’ll kill you myself,” his voice was low, but fast and steady. It wouldn’t surprise Kara if it was Morgan Edge himself.

Kara started biting her lips, concentrating harder as the elevator reached the top floor and the doors slid open. 

“Kara?” Alice asked nervously.

James shook his head, “It’s alright, Alice. Let her do her thing.”

Tuning them out again, Kara could hear the two men’s steps as they walked across tiled floors. “The Toy Box needs to be better secured, and if any of the subjects starts showing any small sign of defect, then toss them. I need them perfect for The King by the end of the month,”

“Of course, Mr. Edge,” the other man responded, “And what is to be done about the princess?”

Edge had opened a door with a small squeek, but stopped suddenly at the other man’s words, “I won’t bend the knee unless it’s what the King asks, but any sign of her trying anything and I’ll burn down her and everything she’s built,” his voice started to grow almost static-y as he continued into the door, “and anyone she’s ever called friend along with it. I want nothing more than to be fucking done with this act until he returns from--” static, it was almost painful as Kara missed some of his words, “All this playing so I can take the--” static again, she could only pick up the words “throne” and “tribute” before she heard the sound closing and nothing but screeching static and nothing.

Kara reached up, placing a hand on her head and squinting, “Well that hurt,” she grumbled.

“I’ll get you some water,” Alice said, leaving the table and rushing away.

“What happened?” Nia asked, reaching a hand out to touch Kara’s before closing her eyes, “Oh. What do you think he means by ‘tribute” and who would be this so-called ‘King’ and ‘Princess’?”

Kara opened her eyes, looking at Nia with wide eyes, “You-did you get all that just by touching my hand?”

Nia nodded, “Yeah, I can see and hear other people’s experiences, but generally only if they’re open to it, if they trust me. So, yeah, I heard everything you heard.”

“In that short of a moment, that quick of a touch?” Kara asked and Nia shrugged while Alice returned to the table, placing the water in front of Kara who thanked her quietly.

“Why do you think you were cut off like that? All that static…” Nia mused and Alice gave them all a confused look.

“I couldn’t hear the whole conversation,” Kara explained, “I don’t know what happened, he just walked into this other room and shut the door and I couldn’t hear anymore.”

James hummed, “It’s likely lead lined,” he said, “Protects from some witches using outside magic to see or hear in, also protects from curses coming from outside. It’s most likely his office.”

Kara took a sip of her water and sighed, “All we got from this is that Edge isn’t even the one in charge if they’re following some King, this could mean that it’s even bigger than we thought and now my head hurts and I’m dying.”

Nia laughed, “Kara, stop being so dramatic. I’m sure that whatever it is, we can beat it in the end. I believe in us.”

Kara looked up, blowing some hair out of her face, “I’m glad someone does because I’m starting to feel a little out of my element. I’ve never taken down some evil corporation that likely has powerful brainwashing technology or magic.”

“Quiet, we’re right across from them and there could be anyone around us who works there,” James chided.

“Oh, chill out, Guardian. Anyone who overheard us would probably think we’re crazy or talking about a game or something. It’s not likely that  _ everyone _ who works there is a demon,” Kara said, lightly shoving his shoulder.

James looked unamused, “Be serious, Kara.”

Kara shrugged, “You try being serious when faced with something so much larger than you are. Try coping with that in a serious way and then we’ll talk,” Kara stood suddenly, “Drinks and brainstorming with pizza back at my place. All this espionage has made me hungry.”

 

The Edge Global building wasn’t far from CatCo, so now Kara found herself there every day during her lunches; listening. She’d picked up a habit of continuously checking her phone, she hadn’t heard from Lena in nearly two weeks and Kara had no idea why. At first, she’d assumed that Lena must be busy with work and didn’t have time to respond, but as more time passed and the more Kara tried to reach out, the more she doubted that. The last time that she saw Lena, she’d thought that they’d had a good time and that they’d connected on some level. Kara really appreciated Lena’s friendship and now she was worried that maybe she’d done something wrong.

Staring down at her iced coffee, she realized that she’d let her mind wander and had stopped listening to what was going on in the building. She sighed, standing up and slinging her purse over her shoulder. This was likely a bust, anyway. It seemed as though anything truly important they talked about in Morgan Edge’s office, which Kara couldn’t get into. She went to grab her coffee when something caught her attention.

“Lena Luthor. I have a meeting with Mr. Edge,” it was Lena going through security, the first that Kara had heard her voice in days and she felt her heart jump as she slid back into her seat.

Lena made her way to the top floor, but she’d stopped short of Edge’s fortified office, choosing instead to meet him in the waiting room just outside. It was a strange thing for her to do, Kara thought, but she didn’t put too much stock into it.

Edge’s tell-tale footsteps could be heard coming down the hallway into the spacious room where Lena had made herself comfortable. Kara had memorized the sound of the man’s footsteps over the last few days, he was very heavy-footed and it made him easy to follow as he went about his business in the building. 

“Lena! What a pleasure to see you!” Edge greeted his guest.

“Drop the bullshit Edge, what is it you want.”

Kara couldn’t help the small smile that formed on her face, glad at how easily Lena could see through this con of a man. Kara had been listening in long enough to learn that Edge was, in fact, a demon in more ways than one. He was cheating on his wife, with two separate woman who had no idea of the other. He regularly made sexist remarks to his coworkers, bullied those that he viewed as below him and worst of all, he didn’t wash his hands after going to the restroom. He was truly a monster.

There was a minute pause before he responded, Kara imagined he was probably annoyed by Lena attempting to take control of the conversation. No one else that Kara had heard speak to him in the last two weeks had the gall to talk to him in the way that Lena had.

“Oh come on now, Lena. Our families are old friends. Can’t I show some appreciation for the beautiful Bastard daughter of the Luthor family?”

Lena stood up, her heels clacking on the tile as she did. “Right then, I’ll let myself out.”

Edge chuckled, “Sorry, sorry. Couldn’t help myself. It’s just the demon inside me lashing out in jealousy, I’m sure.”

Lena didn’t respond, but Kara could imagine the deadly look in her eyes, the one raised eyebrow and the challenge that came with it. Her patience was running thin.

“Why not come chat in my office?”

“I’m fine out here. I’ve never been fond of that stuffy place, it smells of axe body spray and desperation, honestly, and I’m not in the mood to pretend that there’s nothing wrong with the so-called ‘artistic-nudes’ you have up on your walls. Whatever you need to say, say it here and say it now so that I may get on with my day.”

Edge held a growl in his throat, but it could be heard through his words, “Seems your mother has finally gotten through to you, but I thought that maybe that meant you’d learned to play nice. I was going to offer you a truce.”

“ _ A truce? With  _ **_you?_ ** You really must be joking. I know what you’ve been doing here, in this very building, somewhere in the basement where you keep all your shiny new toys and playthings. If you keep this up you are going to get yourself caught, and that will cause people to ask questions, and then they’ll start to figure it out and you’ll expose us all. You’re an idiot, Edge, with an ego bigger than even my brother’s and that’s saying something. At least my brother was  _ smart _ and could cover up his tracks. To this day none of them have any clue of what really happened, and if you don’t end this now you’re going to fuck up the whole goddamn plan and piss off a lot of people.” 

“Miss Luthor, I-”

“Oh, shove it Edge. Fix it, but find a way to let those people go without exposing yourself or I’ll have to bring the hammer down myself,” Lena turned and the clack of her heels echoed as she stepped to the elevator. “Don’t forget how you got all of this and how easy it would be to level all you’ve built with a single call.” The doors shut between Lena and Edge and Kara heard Lena sigh, sagging against the wall in the lift.

Did… Did Lena know what Edge was doing? She was definitely upset, but she also… didn’t sound much like herself. Was that how she was while at work, while Kara wasn’t around? Kara felt her stomach knot and she tapped her fingers on the side of her plastic cup, the ice all but melted. Kara felt like she knew Lena, but… Did she? Doubt slithered up her spine slowly, grasping at her neck as though it were some kind of snake. 

 

Her body felt tired, and she could feel bile deep down her throat as she fell back against the wall of the lift. Lena somehow felt grateful that the lift was so slow, to give her a moment to gather herself. She knew that she had to get Edge to stop what he was doing, to let the humans go, but this isn’t the way she wanted to do it. She didn’t want him to get off with a slap on the wrist, she didn’t want to leave  _ him _ with the decision of what to do with the people he’d stolen. Her hand shook with anger, she wanted to help those people. She didn’t want them dead. She reached down into her purse, pulling out a glass bottle of red liquid and staring down at it, as the red sploshed about within the glass in her trembling hand. Letting him kill them was the simplest thing, but something had held her back from allowing it. 

She fiercely tore open the bottle and raised it to her lips, finding comfort in the familiar burning sensation from the tonic rushing down her throat as she drank and drank. She re-capped the bottle and straightened herself out, trying to force her doubt back into the depths of her soul, which she’d only learned days earlier that she had. Allowing the tonic to take its hold, the tears behind her eyes dissipated as she thought back to the night that would eventually ruin her.

 

Lillian made a surprise visit at Lena’s apartment only a couple days after her visit with Kara, while she was still on the fence on whether or not she could allow herself to have anything good in her life, especially with how easily she could ruin it. Lillian conjured up a dinner for them with a wave of her hand and they ate together, making small talk until Lillian’s plate was empty and Lena was finishing her third glass of wine (she needed it to power through spending this time with her mother.). 

Her mother cleared her throat, an indication that she wanted Lena’s full attention, that she was about to voice her actual reason for being there. 

If only Lena had any indication of what her mother was going to tell her, maybe she would have done what she and her brother wanted from the start. She was somehow happier in her ignorance. 

“It hasn’t been very long since I admitted that your father was actually the man who raised you, but now with what you’ve been doing I need to tell you about your mother.”

Lena placed her empty wine glass on the table, “You told me she was a low-level demon, who was vanquished by witches when I was four years old.”

“Mhm,” Lillian’s eyes didn’t leave Lena’s as she took a sip from her own glass, “Yeah, that was a complete lie fabricated by your father to keep the truth from you. He thought if you really knew that you might seek out the good inside you, the weak bit you inherited from your whore of a mother. Lionel was an idiot, it’s not known by many that we aren’t  _ fully _ demon, but far back in the Luthor line one of your ancestors was a human witch… Which can sometimes… Lead to the idea that we have souls, that we can love. He says he fell in love with your mother, the Witch, and the disgusting way he was acting at the time may mean he was telling the truth. The effect she had on your father… it was although he was enchanted. The affair carried on for nearly four years until they inevitably fell apart, and she ended up dead.”

Lena blinked, but said nothing as she waited for her mother to take another drink of her wine and continue. “What he didn’t know is that I killed her, and,” she raised her hand showing her a palm-sized, glowing white stone with gold flowing through it like rain. “I kept her soul, just in case I needed to reel him in again. Never had to, but now it seems that it may come in handy in keeping a handle on  _ you.” _

Lena dove forward out of her seat, throwing the table aside as she rushed to grab the soul stone from her mother’s hand, but just as her hand moved to close around it; it was gone and her mother was grinning widely.

“Take the damn tonic, Lena. Embrace the family legacy. Do what your told and your mother’s soul will be kept safe. You may even be able to interact with her, ask all those questions I know that you are just  _ dying _ to ask her. Someday, perhaps, I’ll give you the stone to do with as you wish.” 

Lena felt her knees go weak, but she didn’t allow herself to crumble. Not in front of Lillian. “Get. Out.” Lena had to force out the words, but Lillian disappeared in a puff of black smoke and leaving behind a short echo of a laugh as Lena finally sank onto the carpet. All these years, Lena had been half witch. All these years, hoping to find some good somewhere within her, under all the darkness and all the hate and it  _ was there.  _ She wasn’t imagining it. She could have lived the life she wanted, make the changes she wanted to. She could have had a family on the surface, a normal one with kids she could  _ love _ , a puppy, a smiling husband or wife running their hand through her hair and telling her that she is  _ good _ and  _ loved _ and… She had it in her to be happy in a way that Demons never experience. 

No. She never had that chance. The Luthor’s always had their claws in Lena, her name wouldn’t allow for any of it. The devil in her veins overpowered everything else, no matter how hard she fought it and now Lillian had given her a reason to give in to it. 

Kara crossed her mind, a smile like sunshine and a warm soft hand offering comfort and it broke Lena’s heart. She could have nothing good in this world, she knew that now. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last weekend was my birthday, so I did honestly have one good day but otherwise the last couple weeks have been tough. I really want to post a chapter every day, but one a week is the best I can do for the next little while. Send me good vibes, y'all. I could use 'em.
> 
> I hope everyone had a good valentine's day. Don't forget to make good choices!


	13. Look Into The Sun And See Your Soul Is Dying

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been awhile, sorry 'bout that. But I'm still updating! Love y'all and I hope this is a'ight.

> _ “If all you're seeing is your lies _ __   
>  _ You had your chance, but now you've blown it. _ __   
>  _ You want this world so you can own it _ __   
>  _ I am the keeper of the songs of everyone _ __   
>  _ Look into the sun and see your soul is dying _ __   
>  _ Used to feel the faith, but now you're tired of trying _ __   
>  _ Should have left alone what you have stolen from everyone _ __   
>  _ How are you feeling? _ __   
>  __ You seem a little sick to me.” \- ‘Prophecy’, Remy Zero   
>    
> 

Kara relayed what she’d heard while listening in on Lena and Edge later that night to James, Nia, and Alice.

“I don’t trust either of them,” James said seriously, “I’m not the biggest fan of Lex Luthor, considering he got me killed, which makes me doubt that Lena is up to anything good, and we already know that Edge is bad news. If Edge is ‘letting them go’...”

“He could kill them. Every last person in that basement,” Alice said quietly, her small fingers wrapped around a mug filled with hot chocolate.

“We can’t let that happen. We  _ won’t _ let that happen,” Nia said, resting a hand on Alice’s shoulder.

“Lena told him to let them go, surely she meant alive? She seemed angry with him…” Kara commented.

“Kara, if Lena was on the up-and-up don’t you think she’d report him? Why give him a chance when what he’s doing is more than illegal; it’s morally wrong…” Nia said with a sympathetic frown, “I know she’s your friend, but how well do you really know her?”

Kara bit her lip, nerves bubbling up in her stomach, “Lena is good, I know it. I can… Maybe I can go there and see her… Say it’s for a CatCo article, try to get her to tell me whatever she knows about Edge Global. I’m sure she’d tell me if she believed I could help.”

Everyone else exchanged looks of disbelief.

“Kara, if you tip her off somehow that there’s a plan to free those people…” James’s voice was low and he looked up at Kara from where he was seated with Nia and Alice. Kara was the only one standing, unable to contain her nerves. 

“If she’s anything like her brother, she could alert Edge and we’ll never be able to save them,” Alice said, her eyes wide and watery, pleading, “I was one of them, and I don’t know how I got so lucky, but… They deserve to be free. They deserve justice.”

“I’ll be careful. I’ve asked her about Edge before and she openly told me she didn’t like him. I bet if I hint at an investigation, she’d give me something. She wants him gone.” Kara was pulling at her fingers, her eyebrows furrowed as she stared down at her wooden dining table. She’d bought it second hand a couple weeks after moving into the apartment, Alex had insisted that Kara have a table for her and her guests to eat at instead of sitting with their plates on their laps in front of the TV. When Kara moved it in, she felt more like an adult. A dining table was something adults had, and adults knew what they were doing. They knew how to make decisions, move forward, keep themselves and their families together while holding a job… She didn’t feel grown up, she didn’t feel like an adult now; with all of these things before her that she had no idea what to do with. Her parents weren’t around to teach her how to be a proper witch, how to save innocents and take down demons. Even with her Book of Shadows, she felt at a loss. 

Did Lena really… Was she… Was she aware of magic? Was she able to use magic herself? If she did, did she use it for evil as her friends would assume? Why was she the only one who saw any good in her? She remembered the fond way that Lena regarded the boy that had helped them at the restaurant many weeks ago, remembered her asking about his family (remembering all of them by name) and then leaving a massive tip with a big smile. That smile, perhaps sometimes it could be called ‘wicked’ with the way she teased Kara and smile when Kara squirmed, but she also had a smile that was nothing but love, nothing but happiness when she was interacting with her friend. Kara didn’t know enough about demons to know if they had the ability to smile like that, but she knew that the way demons experienced ‘happiness’ was different than mortals. They didn’t experience ‘pure’ feelings, every feeling they had was tainted and maybe they could fake it, but it felt… unlikely. 

“Okay, Kara… But there’s something…  _ wrong _ about Lena. I can just feel it… Maybe if I could meet her? Try to use my powers to see if she’s trustworthy?” Nia said.

Kara dropped her hands and looked up from the table to meet Nia’s eyes, “I trust her, but if it helps to make all of you feel the same way, then yes. How about I take you with me to interview her? You are a rookie journalist, anyway.”

Nia smiled and nodded, “I think it’d make everyone feel better if you didn’t go alone, anyway.” 

Alice nodded once and James still looked unconvinced, “There’s so much turmoil in the Underworld right now, it’s a power grab and that makes it more dangerous for witches… Demons are being left unchecked, and they want a way to prove themselves. Just… refrain from using any spells for the time being, some demons can sense the magic. Your active powers should be fine, though… and don’t reveal anything to the Luthor, they’re not good people. Your brother believed Lex to be a demon.”

Lex a demon. It made sense, but what about Lena? She was adopted, claimed herself to be different from her adoptive family… Maybe Lex wasn’t a demon and Kara was just overthinking everything. Everyone seemed to want to give her a reason to distrust her friend, but Kara was going to stand by her.

“I’ll send Lena an e-mail, saying that CatCo wants to interview her again and let her know that Nia is coming along. She’ll give us a time and we can get this all over with,” Kara sighed. She hadn’t seen Lena in some time, it felt like the woman was ignoring her but maybe seeing her under the guise of business, Lena would talk to her again and maybe she could figure out what was going on with her. L-Corp really needed more good press, which Kara had provided once so if Lena was smart she would agree to the interview. 

  
  


Lena stood on her balcony, leaning forward and looking down at a lit National City in the night. It’d been a long few days, things had turned in a direction she hadn’t planned on and now she felt unsteady on her feet. She took the tonic every day, on time, and even when she didn’t need it. They’d stopped hiding it from her, now that she knew what it really was there was no point in trying to keep it from her like they had been before. She carried a bottle of it everywhere with her now, filling it up at L-Corp multiple times a day. She felt strong, and everything was was much clearer visually, it also became easier to do things that she wouldn’t have done without the lure to darkness that the tonic gave. In the morning when she woke up without the power of the tonic over her, she would begin to break down and question everything… Now she kept a bottle next to her bed and would drink as soon as she woke up. This was no time for weakness.

She reached into the pocket of her blazer and pulled a cigarette out. Holding it between long, delicate fingers she lit it easily with magic from her other hand. She took a long drag, and breathed out slowly watching the smoke raise and seemingly disappear into the dark sky above. The stars weren’t visible above the city for most, but Lena could see them through her gold eyes as though she were outside of the city somewhere in the mountains looking up at the sky without any light pollution. She used to wish on shooting stars, but none of her wishes had ever come true and she began to see them for what they really were; nothing but dust and rock falling through the atmosphere and burning. Burning, burning… Burning. Her eyes slid down to look at the lit cigarette with the end slowly turning to ash. She found it somehow satisfying.

The balcony door opened behind her and she took another drag as the man came to stand beside her. Mon-El, with another update likely. “Miss Luthor,” he said softly, as a way of introducing his presence, although both of them knew that she was already aware, “It seems that Edge actually had a buyer for the mortals he’s been keeping… And my intel says that he still plans on selling them. That’s how he intends to ‘get rid’ of them, to auction them off as quick as possible to someone else.”

“A small army of mindless drones that can be implanted with any skills needed… Whoever buys them will have too much power… The hundreds of ways those people can be used is… it’s very threatening to us. Who’s the buyer?”

Mon-El cleared his throat, taking a long step away from Lena, “Veronica Sinclair.”

Lena felt a flare of rage as the cigarette fell completely to ash as fire exploded through her hands. “Roulette,” Lena growled, shaking her hands as the flames banished, “Do you know what her plans to do with them are?”

“Uh, I think she plans on, uh… using them individually for different client’s needs. Like, uh, prostitutes who won’t remember after, or assassin’s and what not. My source was pretty vague.”

Lena turned and walked back into her office which was brightly lit in stark contrast to the dark outside. She sat on her desk and tapped her fingers a top it as she thought. “She always did have quite the imagination, but… to drop so low as to have human slaves like this… And Roulettte is the kind to try and undermine my rule, she’ll likely use the resources gained from this venture to try and out me. We can’t allow that to happen.”

Mon-El had followed her into her office and had began to pour Lena a glass of water, which she took with gratitude when he offered it to her. She took a long drink, hoping to cool off a little after her small outburst. “If Edge is selling to Roulette, that’s close to treason. He knows she’s an enemy of The Source… gives me more reason to take him out.”

“A hostile takeover should be enough to ruin him,” Mon-El suggested when a notification sound came from Lena’s computer. With a sigh, Lena grabbed her mouse and turned her attention to the screen to make sure that whatever email she got wasn’t important. 

_ Kara _ , Lena thought as she opened the email from her friend,  _ Your timing, Kara… I don’t know how you do it.  _  She turned her attention back to the man standing before her, “A hostile takeover, it is. We just need to weaken Edge Global first, and I think I know just how to do that.”

 

Lena had responded, surprisingly, within half an hour of Kara’s e-mail to her. She’d agreed to an interview near lunchtime and now Kara stood with Nia in front of the L-Corp building, clenching and unclenching her fists as her anxiety ravaged her stomach. 

“It’s fine,” Nia said soothingly, rubbing Kara’s arm and meeting her eyes, “I know there’s a lot at stake here, but I’m with you. We’re a team, okay? I’ve got your back.”

Kara exhaled, her anxiety lessening with Nia’s words. Still, she hadn’t seen Lena in some time and she was… excited. Excited, but still nervous as doubt had begun to slither into the back of her mind. Kara didn’t want her friends to be right about Lena, but she knew that there was a chance that Lena wasn’t who Kara believed she was. 

 

Lena wasn’t alone when they entered her office for an interview. Standing beside her desk with a sly smile and bright eyes was a man who was dressed far too casually-jeans, t-shirt, with an unbuttoned flannel-to really fit in with the surroundings, still he somehow added an easy air to the room that made Kara feel more at ease. Lena stood up after they entered, with a smile as she greeted Kara with a hug, but before she shook Nia’s hand in introduction, the man cut in and introduced himself.

“Great to meet you both!” He said, reaching out to shake Nia’s hand, “Don’t read much, but Lena says good things about CatCo.,” he shook Kara’s hand and caught her eyes, “and especially about their star reporter; Kara Danvers.”

Kara dropped her eyes to the floor, shaking her head and chuckling nervously; adjusting her glasses.

“My name’s Mon-El. I do freelance work with Lena, I hope you don’t mind if I sit in on your interview.”

“That-that’s fine,” Kara nodded and she caught a sharp look from Lena, standing behind Mon-El with her arms folded.

“Let’s get on with this,” Lena waved her hand and sat back at her desk, motioning for the two women to sit while Mon-El leaned on the glass wall behind her.

“It’s, uh, it’s really nice to see you again, Lena. I’ve missed you,” Kara opened her notepad, then looked at Lena with questioning eyes.

Lena didn’t look up from her computer, “Been busy,” she replied then turned her attention to Nia, “What was it the two of you wanted to talk about?”

Kara cleared her throat, “Uh, um. Right. We’re actually investigating one of the companies that L-Corp is known to do business with and we thought that maybe you might be able to help us…”

Lena raised an eyebrow, “If it’s a company that we work with, what makes you think that I’d tell you anything?”

“Because if they were doing something morally wrong I know you’d want to stop it,” Kara said, sincerity dropping from every word.

“You always see the best in people,” Lena said, finally looking at Kara, “It’s one of the things I love about you,” Lena sort of shook her head and slid a folder in front of her, seemingly making a note on it with a pen as she continued, “I’m guessing this is about Edge Global.”

Kara felt a sense of hope then, maybe Lena really did want to help. 

“Yeah, if you know anything shady about them…” Nia cut in.

“I wouldn’t know anything about that,” Lena sat back in her chair, looking both the woman over closely as Mon-El shifted uncomfortably behind her, “L-Corp stopped any joint ventures with Edge Global the moment I became CEO. I’ve never liked their family, and the company is just… It feels dirty.”

Kara’s shoulders drooped, maybe Lena wasn’t really going to help them, maybe her friends were right? Or maybe Lena was going to deal with it in her own way? Kara didn’t know, but she wanted to believe her friend would help her. 

“Then how did you guess it was Edge Global we were looking into,” Nia asked.

“Because they’re the Corporation most likely to be doing something newsworthy in a negative way,” Lena responded simply, “I’ve known Edge for a long time.”

Nia nodded and looked over at Kara, who appeared lost in thought.

“If that’s all,” Lena said after a short silence, “I have a lot of work to do.”

“R-right!” Nia responded, standing up and slightly shaking Kara’s arm to get her to stand to, “We’ll get out of your way. Sorry for wasting your time.”

Lena looked at Kara for a moment that seemed to stretch for miles, and Nia felt an energy emanating from the two that made her feel as though she should leave them alone.

“Lena, it’s just about time for your, uh, vitamin shake,” Mon-El interrupted and Lena gave him a look that could kill, before relaxing and nodding.

“Go get it then,” she replied.

Mon-El nodded and waved good-bye to the two visitors as he walked by them to leave. Lena walked around her desk, and while Kara expected a hug, Lena gave her a firm handshake, barely reaching her eyes before turning to shake Nia’s hand.

The moment they touched, Nia’s eyes grew wide and then almost drowsy before she fell back into Kara’s arms, her eyes moving wildly behind closed eyelids. “K-Kara!” Nia yelled in a panic, her eyes still closed and her body limp. It was the sort voice someone only used while desperate; while calling out to someone they care about in dire situations. Pure desperation and fear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not super proud of this but I can't wait for the good shit to finally start happening I am READY I stg
> 
> Yea find me on twitter @loveluthor or @SeventeenthStar
> 
> May you have some light in your life today! And remember; Make good choices~!


	14. Tremble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello. I am sorry for how long this took.

> _ “I tremble _ __   
>  _ They're gonna eat me alive _ __   
>  _ If I stumble _ __   
>  _ They're gonna eat me alive _ __   
>  _ Can you hear my heart _ _   
>  _ _ Beating like a hammer _ _   
>  _ __ Beating like a hammer” - ‘Help I’m Alive,” Metric

 

At the start, there was nothing but blackness and a powerful sense of dread as Nia felt as though she was falling endlessly into darkness, until she broke through what felt like glass into what felt like cold water. She closed her eyes and when she opened them she was standing somewhere damp, dark, lit by nothing but candles and a couple of torches on the marble walls. She walked slowly around the room before noticing steps leading outside, it was night time. Before she could cross the room to the stairs there was a loud crash as someone fell down the stairs backward in between what Nia recognized as coffins. This was somewhere in the National City Cemetery, she realized as two cloaked figures entered the room; one as graceful as a dancer and the other almost drunkenly as if they were confused by where they were.

Nia rushed to check on the person that had fallen, but when she tried to touch her, her hand went right through her. This… this wasn’t normal. Realizing where she was before, it dawned on her that this was likely one of her dreams, but she’d never experienced one like this before. Almost as if she were there in the room, but she wasn’t. The others couldn’t see her and she couldn’t touch anyone or anything. Usually her dreams were her just watching from above, sometimes they were from the eyes of someone there, but this was new.

The woman at Nia’s feet slowly tried to move herself up, coughing up blood in the process before falling on her side, her blond hair falling away from her face as she looked at the two cloaked figures with fear. “K-Kara!” Nia shouted as she noticed the two cloaked figures brandishing knives, one already covered in blood and dripping onto the old marble floor. The graceful one removed his hood and Nia recognized him immediately. She’d seen him all over the news, the man who was responsible for the death of hundreds; Lex Luthor. He was smiling, it was somehow charming which sent a chill down Nia’s spine. That… that just wasn’t right. He seemed so comfortable, so casual with what what happening around him. It was like he was playing an easy game.

Nia recognized this. She’d had this dream months ago; from Kara’s eyes. She hadn’t had the chance to tell her, to warn her about this yet but now it here it was again, just… different. 

Lex approached Kara where she lay, writhing in pain and gasping for air as more blood fell from her mouth. The other figure remained where they were, their knife blood-stained but still glinting in the light. Nia couldn’t make out their face under the hood, but there was a feeling she couldn’t escape. There was an air of betrayal in the room, in the way Kara desperately tried to look at the one standing near the entrance, her eyes wide and pleading. Nia felt as though she was going to be sick as Lex stood over her and laughed.

“Finally, we can end your line,” he said sweetly, running a hand over her cheek and she spat at him, blood now scattered on his face but he didn’t even react, “Little Kara, not surprising your heart is so weak; so easy to manipulate. Thank you, really, for helping my family back to the top.” He moved away from her and turned his attention to the other hooded person. “It’s time,” his voice was smooth and low as he watched them swaying at the door, “Don’t pull this garbage. You’ve already done enough, now it’s time to accept the inevitable.” He swayed his hand over Kara on the ground who had grown uncomfortably silent, “ _ do it.” _

They shuffled over, letting out a sound that sounded almost like a sob before speaking, “Goodbye,” it was a female voice, somewhat recognizable to Nia. 

The woman stood over Kara, raising the knife high above her before Nia realized who it was about to kill her friend,  _ “Lena!” _ The knife swung down and Nia awoke with a start.

 

What sort of vision would cause this sort of physical reaction from Nia? Kara looked up at Lena, whose eyes were wide with shock and confusion. Mon-El walked into the room and once he noticed Nia shaking in Kara’s arm’s he darted to them, setting a glass bottle next to him and dropping to one knee. 

“Holy  _ shit, _ ” he swore, looking her over and holding out quivering hands above her, “What can I do? Is she okay?”

Kara was holding Nia tight in her arms as she struggled in her blackout, “Just… wait,” Kara spoke between gritted teeth, her anxiety shooting through her light a bolt of lightning. 

“I… I…” Lena took a couple steps back, stumbling slightly in her heels, “what did I do?”

Mon-El stood up, taking the bottle with him and walking around where Kara was on the floor to place a gentle hand on Lena’s shoulder, “I don’t think you did this,” he said quietly before speaking in a whisper that he didn’t know Kara could hear, “It’s wearing off, Lena. You’ll feel better if you drink the tonic now…” he was holding the bottle in front of her with his other hand.

Lena pushed the bottle away and shook her head, her heels clacking loudly as she rushed to Kara’s side. She placed a hand on Kara’s shoulder and spoke softly into her ear. If Kara wasn’t so distracted, she was sure she would fill a chill from Lena speaking to her in such a way. “Kara, I’m sorry. I don’t know how I did this, but I am so, so sorry. It’s never been my intention to hurt you or your friends…”

_ Strange thing to say, but ok.  _ “Lena, you didn’t do this. Nia is… she epileptic, and narcoleptic… This… this happens, none of this is your fault,” Kara held Nia close, making small shushing noises in an attempt to calm her down during her vision. 

Lena reached to touch Nia, hoping to help in one way or another, hoping to bring some sense of comfort, when Nia shouted her name. Her eyes popping wide open, and her hand flying to grab Lena’s wrist before she could touch her. Nia’s chest was rising up and down as she tried to catch her breath, her tight grasp on Lena’s wrist loosening as she slowly realized where she was. There were tears in her eyes and she looked up at Kara, sighing as though she was relieved. 

“Nia, that was… are you feeling okay?” Kara asked.

Nia moved out of Kara’s arms, but still sat on the floor as she trembled slightly, “Yes, I am so sorry about that. It’s…”

“I told Lena about your epilepsy,” Kara cut in, her eyes wide as she tried to get Nia in on the story she’d told the others. 

“Yes, right… It’s not usually so intense. I apologize.” Nia nodded slowly. 

Mon-El stood beside Nia and offered an arm to help her up, which she gladly accepted, straightening herself out the best she could, and trying to stand with some semblance of dignity and normalcy after what had just taken place. “Thank you,” she said to him.

“Of course,” he said with a sympathetic smile, “L-Corp cares or some other nonsense like that,” he winked and Nia’s face reddened slightly.

“Kara… we should go. I think I could use some rest.”

“Of course, let’s get you out of here. Sorry about that Lena, I’m sure it’s not something you’re used to dealing with during normal business days,” Kara chuckled awkwardly and was surprised when she was suddenly in Lena’s arms.

It felt as though Lena was trembling and Kara wrapped her own arms around her slowly, surprised by the feeling of sadness and loss that came out of nowhere, engulfing her. “Lena…” she spoke low, soft, “are you okay?”

Lena sniffed slightly, pulling away and not looking at Kara. “It’s just been a rough couple weeks. My apologies. You two should get going.” Her eyes found Kara under long dark eyelashes and she reached a hand out to take Kara’s. Lena kept eye contact with Kara as she passed a small slip of paper over to her, “you two take care now.” She let go and Kara missed Lena’s warmth immediately, “Mon-El, escort them out, will you?”

 

“We need to do something about this  _ now _ ,” Alice spoke with ferocity, slamming her hand down on the map on Kara’s dining room table.

Kara stood across from her, staring down at what Lena had slipped to her on their way out of her office. It was an Ace of Hearts with an unfamiliar design on the back. On the front of the card was scribbled a name in what Kara assumed was Lena’s delicate script. Veronica Sinclair, Kara had never heard of this person and had no idea where to start with this. What was Lena trying to say? Why slip this to her in such a secret manner? Was she being watched… Maybe by that Mon-El guy?

Alex, James, Nia, and Winn surrounded the table as well; brainstorming ideas of how to get the people out of Edge’s grasp while Kara’s mind was a million miles away, remembering the way Lena held her in her office. She was… warm, warmer than Kara remembered, but she was still so soft and she held Kara so tight that Kara wanted to stay, wanted to give her more comfort because it seemed as though she needed it.

Nia was nursing a mug of hot chocolate, her face pale and her eyes distant. She hadn’t told Kara what she’d seen, and Kara didn’t pressure her to. At least, not yet. The vision, whatever it was, had taken a big toll on Nia and she seemed to need time to process, to recoup her energy. They hadn’t told the others about what had happened either, it just seemed like one more thing to add onto the pile of things they were already dealing with. Kara had set aside trying to find out what had really happened to the Kryptonians in favor of helping Alice, it was an immediate problem and those people needed to be saved, whereas Kara’s coven was already lost and there was nothing she could do to change that.

The assassin had all but been buried as well. There had been no other assassins or assassination attempts since the bar and they’d begun to move Alice from apartment to apartment so she wasn’t in one place for too long. The original killer was locked up in the DEO but still, Kara felt a lingering concern for Alice. Alice hadn’t been the only one targeted, and Lena could still be in danger by whoever had hired the hitman in the first place, and it was all too much. Street attacks had doubled, murders like the once Kara had seen continued and it seemed like no effort by the police could slow either down. 

“Maybe we could create a door?” Kara asked, stepping forward with a thoughtful expression, “I think I remember seeing a spell for it in the book. Why try to break in through their doors when we can create our own? They definitely wouldn’t see it coming.”

Alex was tapping her fingers one by one on the table. She’d recently gotten a new haircut; her red hair short and shaved on the sides and longer on top, swept over to one side and now slightly falling in front of her face as she stared down at the map, still in her black DSO uniform. She said she didn’t have a chance to change before coming over, but she seemed comfortable enough in the unusual fabric that clung tightly to her skin. Kara wondered if it was some kind of DSO issued magic uniform; she made note to ask Alex about it later.

“I’m not sure I like the idea of you using any spells, Kara,” Alex said seriously, “Director Henshaw strongly recommends against it, and it can attract the wrong kind of attention from demons. The more you use it, the more trouble will follow.”

“I don’t know about that. It seems that trouble is already following me without me even using my magic, and I think it’s time I start using it. These problems are magic related, and can be solved using magic,” Kara shrugged.

Alex was quiet.

“She’s got a point, Alex. Kara’s magic is an asset whether or not it attracts demons, and how can we even be sure that it will? Kara’s had magic her whole life and she’s never had demon or warlock troubles until now, right? I’ve been reading a lot, and from what I’ve learned Kara’s magic has just been growing in stores all these years since it’s been unused. It’s rare for a Witch to not use her powers for so long, Kara could be very powerful. She could even be a ticking time bomb. Letting her use spells can only help at this point,” Winn chimed in.

James nodded, “He’s actually right. I don’t know  _ where _ he got the books with that information, but Kara should be using her magic. It can help restore balance.”

Alex sighed, “Fine, but I warned you. It’s not like Kara works for the DSO and this was an order. Just… some advice that The Director really hopes you’ll listen to, Kara, but I’m not going to stop you. I want to help, I want to keep you from getting hurt.”

Kara smiled, placing a hand on Alex’s shoulder, “I know I’ll be safe with you on my six, sis.”

Alex rolled her eyes.

“I’ll start making notes on some of the spells that can help us get in and out undetected. Though I can’t promise that we won’t be noticed with a horde of brainwashed people in matching outfits walking out of a skyscraper in the middle of the day,” said Kara.

“Think about maybe doing this at night, then. We don’t need to get exposed. It’s the one thing that both Good and Evil agree on; magic needs to remain underwraps and hidden from muggles. They are the majority, and any number of awful things could happen with word getting out.”

“...and what about after we free them? What do we do with them? We can’t just… leave them on the streets on their own. Believe me, it isn’t easy.” Alice added, “These are real people who need help, and who will continue to need our help even after they’re out of there. I mean… I still don’t remember my life before all of this.”

Kara had actually been thinking about this. She’d been through the book trying to find a spell or potion or anything to return memories but there was nothing that quite worked for their situation as far as she could tell. She knew that she could try to write a spell, but that’s something she definitely had never even attempted, and a spell messing with someone’s mind, their memory… It felt like it could go horribly wrong. 

Silence fell over the room like a cold, heavy blanket as Kara left to grab The Book of Shadows, dropping it on the table with a loud  _ thump _ that broke through the quiet. “One thing at a time. We need to figure out where in the building they are first, then how to get in, how to get them to come with us, and how to get out... “

“Step by step it is, then,” Alex agreed.

 

Lena hated the underworld. It was dark, moist, and terribly decorated. Demons did not have good taste, and they didn’t like to use electricity (didn’t want to show up on the grid, and refused any fixes that Lena had suggested) so a lot of the underworld was dimly lit with torches and an overabundance of candles, usually with wax creeping down walls and furniture onto the rock floors. A complete mess. 

Lena sat in one of these dimly lit places, at a long granite table with tall chairs surrounding it. Around her sat others, some obviously demon with multiple eyes and dark skin, or red with multiple arms. Whenever they had meetings in the Underworld the demons took it upon themselves to drop the human guises that they carried with them on the daily, instead choosing to reveal themselves as though doing this made them appear more powerful, more menacing. The way any of them looked meant nothing to Lena. Everyone at the table was a leader of one faction or another. Lena had extended an invitation to every currently known leader and only a handful had arrived, but it was still more than they’d thought. Mon-El stood behind her on one side, and a blond woman named Eve on the other as people of the Underworld shuffled in, taking their seats at the table.

_ Vampires, check. Firestarters, check. Grims, check… _ Lena went down the list in her head, making special note of those who arrived that had originally refused to support her brother, but they all knew she was a different kind of leader.  _ Creative, _ was the word that she’d heard the most when she overheard any of her demon employees talking. They expected her to bring them something new, something to really satiate whatever dark desires the others had. She closed her eyes tight, reminding herself what she was doing this all for, that she had to give in to survive and opened them again to a room of evil, almost feeling like she was looking into a mirror, staring back at her. 

Lena stood, straightening her blazer and staring back into the void with a grin, “Believe me when I say that by the end of this meeting; you will swear your allegiance to your new queen, and you will want nothing more than to bend the knee.”

Behind her confident demeanour, Lena knew the weight of what she was doing. One small step, one word wrong and they could easily tear her to pieces even with Eve and Mon-El there as her guards. She was powerful, she knew this, but in a room full of monsters like this, that could turn at any moment without warning… Inside, she was trembling. 

_ Survival,  _ Lena reminded herself as the memory of worried blue eyes haunted her as she spoke,  _ and for mother. I have no other choice. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YEAH SO My computer decided to throw a bitch fit and then my gf and I got a puppy so I've been a bit distracted but I'm still here and still committed to writing this. I hope all y'all are doing well.
> 
> The twitters  
> if you wanna see puppy pics follow me @SeventeenthStar  
> if you wanna fangirl over sg with me follow me @loveluthor
> 
> Make good choices, and I hope you make it a goal to make someone smile today


	15. Invisible

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> plotplotplotplotplot
> 
> This is short, but I needed to get it out almost as a way to ensure y'all that I'm still here, still working. I've had a lot of life stuff going on so it's shortened my writing time by a lot, and finals are right around the corner so updates will probably be slow but I WILL CONTINUE THIS STORY

 

Kara had to remind herself to breathe as she stood, invisible, behind Morgan Edge in his lead-lined office at the top of Edge Global. He couldn’t see her, but if she made any noise he could certainly  _ hear _ her, but that didn’t mean that she could get away without breathing. She’d been standing behind him in the silent room for ten minutes, according to the time on the clock, but it felt like she’d been there for hours. The time ticked by slower than a snail’s pace and she was getting tired on her feet, but the one time she’d attempted to lean on something she knocked over a framed photo of Edge and the Vice President. Luckily for her, he just put it back in place and shrugged it off, returning to his quiet work.

The potion they used, made possible by a spell spoken over it, was supposed to last about an hour, and Kara also had to consider her timing on getting out of the building, she didn’t want to appear suddenly in the man’s office because she didn’t time her escape along with one of his guests coming or going. 

She felt rigid and ready to jump at anything as she waited impatiently for a certain meeting that Edge was supposed to be having within the next few minutes. The day after Kara’s interview with Lena, they were able to get a digital copy of Edge’s schedule thanks to some tech magic from Winn and what they found was that in just two days, Edge had an 11:30 appointment with none other than Veronica Sinclair; the name that Lena had passed to Kara. 

So it seemed that Lena  _ did _ have a way to help them with Edge, but Kara had no idea how this was going to pan out, if it would even give them anything. She was going to listen in on the meeting (praying that it takes less than an hour) and if it gave her any good information she could either head back to the apartment, or follow whichever of them seemed more likely to show her something useful. Or, you know, something could go wrong and the spell could stop working or Veronica could see her somehow, as much as she loved finally getting to use her magic, she knew that spells and potions weren’t exactly precise. The smallest of elements could change the potency of magic, or even the outcome of a spell. She’d read about one potion in The Book of Shadows that if it rained within two days of using the potion, that your feet would grow four sizes, when the potion was meant to work only as a pixie repellant for four to six hours. While this was tame, there was a spell with a warning that if you ate something containing nuts within 24 hours of using it, that the next person you touched would suffer an immediate brain aneurysm. The spell was meant to give you healing hands for a short period of time, only minutes, and Kara felt a deep sense of fear with the knowledge that someone in the Coven of Krypton had to have experienced this in order for the passage to be in the book.

Just as Kara was beginning to tell herself to stop overthinking things, the door slid open and a beautiful tan woman in a strikingly red dress followed a small man into the office. (Wait, no, he wasn’t small, the woman was just  _ tall _ , making the other two men in the room look like newly-planted trees next to her ancient oak.) Her confidence matched her height as she slithered inside, a sly grin on the side of her face. 

“You’re  _ late, _ ” Edge hissed, pushing his palms forcefully into his desk and lifting himself up.

Barely making eye contact, and instead choosing to look around the room with feigned interest, the woman spoke smoothly as she stepped into the light and Kara took in her full-body dragon tattoo for the first time, “You’re really surprised? You should know better by now.”

Edge sighed and waved a hand, inviting her to sit, “Let’s just get to business, Veronica.”

So this was Veronica Sinclair. What a wonder she was. Kara didn’t know what to expect when she’d read the name Lena slipped her, but this wasn’t anywhere near what she’d guessed. How did Lena know the name of such a woman? Did she know her? 

Veronica sat down with practised ease, “Roulette to you, Edge.”

Edge rolled his eyes as he found his seat again, “I didn’t realize this was  _ that _ kind of meeting.”

Veronica scoffed, “Aren’t they all, anymore? With the mess that man-child Lex left behind when he burrowed himself away, every meeting is about fixing it somehow.”

Edge leaned back in his chair, “Yes, well. All in time. We need to talk about his sister.”

Veronica’s smirk grew into a full smile, “The littlest Luthor, sure. What trouble has she gotten herself into now?”

“Lena’s slowing us down. Lex promised that she’d stick to the status quo while she was in charge, but she’s sticking her mutt nose where it doesn’t belong.”

Veronica’s expression gave away nothing as she began examining her nails, “You want to kill her,” she said simply and Kara felt her stomach sink.

“Yes.”

Veronica sighed, her hand dropping into her lap and her eyes finding Edge’s again, “I’m getting tired of hearing this, Morgan. You know that killing her will only raise suspicion, and I’m still cleaning up after your last misguided attempt. Don’t think I don’t know about the Warlock hit man you hired who got himself caught by the  _ mortal _ government like a plebian.”

Edge visibly tensed, “If the others had backed me up, the bitch would be dead now and we’d likely be onto actually dealing with her brother.”

“More likely, it would draw out Lillian and she’s much worse than her daughter, as well as less excitable than her son. As long as Lex lives, anything you do to his family is irrelevant. He’s the one the underworld views as the so-called Emperor. The other two’s power come from him.”

“I don’t care,” Edge bristled, “Lena is more dangerous than we gave her credit for. You ask me, she’s more dangerous than her mother and brother combined.”

The meeting seemed to go on forever, but luckily for Kara there was a brief interruption by Edge’s assistant and she was able to sneak out through the open door. 

Kara had become visible on her way home, surprising a dog walker and the five dogs she had with her, causing quite the commotion with barking, whining, then followed by a multitude of soft tackles, pets, and more dog kisses than Kara ever needed. Still, she made it home in one piece and with more information than she’d expected to get from Edge. It was easy, now, to surmise that the Luthor family was likely demons or otherwise magical. Kara still had a lot of questions about what she’d heard, but for her the most pertinent thing she had to do was save Lena from what Roulette and Edge were planning.

She knew the exact date, time, and plan for how Lena’s assassination was to take place. It immediately became Kara’s top priority, it didn’t matter if her friend was potentially a demon or something else, she was her friend and Kara felt like she knew her. Lena was good and she deserved to be saved. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> make good choices, be kind to one another

**Author's Note:**

> hey I'm @loveluthor on twitter if you wanna see me obsess over supercorp or @SeventeenthStar if you wanna follow my personal which still has quite a bit of me obsessing over SuperCorp but also other stuff.
> 
> Please feel free to comment. I appreciate ideas and constructive criticism! And I thrive off of compliments.


End file.
